Semiochemicals to control the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

Abstract

In the Middle East and in our country, Egypt, the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) or palm aids (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Olivier) has been a more dangerous palm pest for the past two decades. Volatile oils, also known as essential oils, are natural sources that contain a variety of chemical compounds that can attract or repel insect pests. The current study aims to use new techniques for controlling the red palm weevil by utilising essential oils as an element of semiochemicals. The laboratory study was conducted by using a two-choice olfactometer (Y), we compared palm hearts (Algumar) and certain essential oils and recorded the coefficients of attraction and repulsion separately for males and females. Our results indicated that the females’ coefficient of attraction to palm hearts increased by 55%, while males were attracted to water. The coriander and basil oils also recorded high attraction rates of 61.6% for females and 51.1% for males, respectively, but the lemongrass and peppermint oils were repellent to both females and males. When mixing oils in an innovative formulation, the attraction rate was increased by 86.6% and 84.4% for both females and males, respectively. From the above, it is clear to us that mixing some volatile oils together has a strong effect by increasing the coefficient of attraction that is not present in each oil alone, increasing the oil's effectiveness. As a result, within the integrated control programmes and the country's sustainable development strategy, this method is recommended as a new method for controlling, reducing pest damage, and protecting the date crop and palm wealth.