Fumigant action of commonly used insecticides as a curative treatment of red palm weevil rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier)‎ in infested date palms

Abstract EN

Red palm weevil (RPW) rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (coleopteran : curculionidae) is an economically important pest of date palms worldwide.

chemical treatments are widely used to treat and cure palms in the early stage of RPW attack.

this study was carried out to test the vapor action of six commonly available insecticides applied at different rates to control RPW in mild and severely infested date palms.

diluted doses of the insecticides were sprayed on the affected part of the palm trees, subsequent to applying specially designed air tight fumigation sleeve around the infested section of the palm trunk.

results revealed that 100% mortality of the larval, pupal and adult stages of the pest inside the infested palm could be achieved within 5 days due to the fumigant action of using the following treatments: 120 ml of deltamethrin 10% EC, 150 ml of chlorpyriphos 48% EC, 150 ml of marqiusetm (combination of phoxim 15%, cypermethrin 5% and monosultap 20%), 150 ml of malathion 57% EC, 150 ml of diazinon 60% EC and 250ml cypermethrin 25% EC.

research findings offer an alternative to the curative treatment of RPW palms with aluminum phosphide and also a curative and less damaging alternative to the application of chemical insecticides trunk injections.