Divisi
Red palm weevil
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus · Insect
Photo: Smailtn · CC BY-SA 4.0
The red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a large, rusty-red beetle with a long, curved snout, about as long as your thumb — the deadliest pest of coconut, date and oil palms. Its fat, legless, creamy-white grubs bore into the soft heart inside the trunk and crown and hollow the palm out from the inside. The damage stays hidden until the crown wilts and topples — and by then the palm is usually beyond saving.
Katja Schulz · CC BY 2.0 
Noblevmy at Malayalam Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0
Why it matters
Red palm weevil is a palm-killer. Once the grubs are eating the soft heart inside the stem, they can take the whole tree — a total, 100% loss — because a dead crown never grows back. The worst part is that they work hidden deep inside the palm, so by the time you see the crown wilting the damage is usually already done, and any spray on the outside can never reach the grubs buried in the trunk. That is why catching it early — before the palm is hollowed out — is the only way to win, and why a single infested palm left standing can breed enough weevils to take your whole grove.
When to act
Any weevil caught in pheromone traps in the area, or the first sign of crown wilt or oozing on a palm
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
In much of the region a spray is simply called mushonga — medicine. But a chemical group you cannot name is one you cannot rotate, and a product you did not write down has no pre-harvest interval you can observe. Mushonga, and other farming words →
The full red palm weevil field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
12 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to red palm weevil — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify red palm weevil?
The first sign is in the crown, not the old leaves. The youngest, central fronds — the 'spear' standing at the very top — start to wilt, yellow and droop while the older outer fronds still look green. On the trunk and leaf-bases you'll find holes oozing a rusty-brown, sticky fluid, wads of chewed, wet fibre (this is called _frass_) that looks like brown sawdust, and often a sour, fermenting smell. Put your ear against the trunk on a quiet day and you may even hear the grubs chewing inside.
When should I take action against red palm weevil?
Any weevil caught in pheromone traps in the area, or the first sign of crown wilt or oozing on a palm
How do I control red palm weevil?
Prevent it — keep your palms un-wounded. Weevils are drawn to fresh cuts and their smell, so avoid wounding the trunk and crown, prune as little as you can, and when you must cut, seal the wound (with tar, mud or a wound paint) and do it in the cool, dry season when weevils are least active. Never leave cut palm trunks, stumps or heaps of old fronds lying around — they are perfect breeding sites, so clear and burn them.
Which crops does red palm weevil affect?
Among the crops covered here: Coconut, Oil palm.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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