Palm tree work can often be challenging and complex. Not only does it require a good artesanel pruning skill to make the palm look nice but also an in depth knowledge of the biological and structural inner workings of a palm tree, so as to keep it safe and free of disease.
Pruning of tall Canary palm in Campanet, with tree bicycle climbing method
Mechanical treatment of Canary palm, affected by the Red Palm Weevil / Picudo Rojo (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) and the Paysandisia Moth (Paysandisia archon)
This palm, to an untrained eye, looked perfectly healthy but we had spotted some suspicious looking brown leaves, so upon closer inspection we found several larvae burrowing into the central shoots.
We cut back and completely removed the centre of the crown, cutting back layers until we found no more larvae galleries.
5 months later a new crown has regrown and the palm is almost completely recovered.
The Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) and the Paysandisia Moth (Paysandisia archon)
The Red Palm Weevil or "Picudo Rojo" in Spanish (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a very aggressive species of snout beetle, of a reddish orange colour and about 4.5 cms in length. Native to tropical Asia (Indonesia) they were introduced with palm trees imported from North Africa. Females can generate a large quantity of larvae that cause considerable damage. In Mallorca thousands of palms have already died.
While the adult causes some damage through feeding, it is the burrowing of the larva into the heart of the palm that causes the greatest mortality of trees. Larvae have a cream-colored body with a hard brown head and strong jaws with which they burrow rapidly into the centre of the palm, until they reach the apical shoot/heart, rapidly killing the tree. It is there where they form a cocoon to later hatch as a beetle.
The Paysandisia moth (Paysandisia archon) is native to the southern regions of South America with a wingspan up to 12.5 cm. It was introduced with ornamental palm imports late last century possibly from Argentina. They have spread rapidly around the Mediterranean coast and there have even been reports of them reaching south east England.
The visible symptoms of damage caused by the moth larvae is harder to detect and the process of destruction caused by them is slower than that of the Palm Weevil but left without treating can eventually cause death.
While the adult causes some damage through feeding, it is the burrowing of the larva into the heart of the palm that causes the greatest mortality of trees. Larvae have a cream-colored body with a hard brown head and strong jaws with which they burrow rapidly into the centre of the palm, until they reach the apical shoot/heart, rapidly killing the tree. It is there where they form a cocoon to later hatch as a beetle.
The Paysandisia moth (Paysandisia archon) is native to the southern regions of South America with a wingspan up to 12.5 cm. It was introduced with ornamental palm imports late last century possibly from Argentina. They have spread rapidly around the Mediterranean coast and there have even been reports of them reaching south east England.
The visible symptoms of damage caused by the moth larvae is harder to detect and the process of destruction caused by them is slower than that of the Palm Weevil but left without treating can eventually cause death.