What if Red Palm Weevil makes it to the Canary Islands?

[Stan]

The Canary island date palms look to be easy prey for the weevil. I wonder what the authority's are doing to prevent a mass extinction?

 

[Horst Germany]

The Canary island date palms look to be easy prey for the weevil. I wonder what the authority's are doing to prevent a mass extinction?

Hi Stan,
twise a year I visit Tenerife and find more and more infested Phoenix canariensis. Friends from the island and from La Gomera told me that the Red Palm weevil were "imported" together with Phoenix canariensis from Egypt (they bought impoted ones because the these palm trees were a bit cheaper than native Phoenix canarienis). To my mind the Red Palm weevil now is introduced to Canary Islands and will cause a desaster!
I will visit Tenerife in April this spring. I hope I'll get some further information what the authorities are going to do for prevention (one good example: the "Palmetum", the botanical garden of Santa Cruz de Tenerife) grow all palmtrees from seeds and don't plant impoted ones).
Regards, Horst

 

[Dypsisdean]

Wow - that is bad news. Here in Hawaii (on Oahu) there is another "weevil" killing Coconuts. Imagine Hawaii and Waikiki without Coconuts.

But still, no precautions are made when planes fly from the Main Island to the Outer Islands. We took a trip to Tahiti recently, and upon landing we waited as they opened all the overhead bins and sprayed an insecticide up and down the aisle and into the bins - and we waited about 10-15 mins. This was because they didn't want the Coconut weevil in Tahiti. But apparently the U.S. agriculture people aren't as concerned about spreading it throughout the Hawaiian islands.

We bemoan the many ag laws, but you can understand and appreciate the reason for many of them.

 

[Stan]

Hello Horst. I would guess that Palm that is world renowned would get an all out push back from the Government- Malathion to sterilized female weevils. I hadn't known they had reached the islands.