Arillas Forum

Welcome to Arillas => Arillas general information => Topic started by: Charlieos07 on May 20, 2016, 03:13:35 PM

Title: Palms in Arillas
Post by: Charlieos07 on May 20, 2016, 03:13:35 PM
Walking round Arillas I'm saddened to see so many palms with the pineapple type trunk that have been struck down. They maybe date palms but not sure. You can't miss them. it looks like some blight has affected these palms that must be many years old. Does any one know the cause and what is being done for prevention.
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: Anne on May 21, 2016, 10:21:13 AM
I was told they had to have all the leaves cut off because they were attacked by a bug type thing, hopefully they will come back just as lovely as ever.
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: Ann K on May 21, 2016, 01:23:49 PM
I had noticed it on some of the pictures on Facebook.  Yiota said it was a virus.  Such a shame as those trees look lovely and hopefully, they will recover.
Ann x
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: vivian on May 21, 2016, 05:36:42 PM
Ever since the olympics there has been a little bug in the country there has been a little bug around that attacks them. if you see one that has fallen to them on the inside of the trunk. it just looks like wet carboard and stinks to high heaven. I was told it can take between a week and 1 yr for it to kill hem, but cant remember its name. xx
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: harold on May 24, 2016, 02:15:25 PM
its the Red Palm Weevil.The female can lay upto 200 eggs at once.The female larvae burrow to the centre of the palm .the level of infection has 5 stages and can survive upto level 4 though at this stage the trees would need majpr surgery.upto level 4 the tree is treated both by surgery and spraying.
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: dimitris on May 24, 2016, 04:37:44 PM
 There is a picture of the bug which was found in our balcony.  We have two small palmtrees that have not  been affected. .. It seems to like the older - larger trees...

(http://arillas.atwebpages.com/zp-core/i.php?a=arillas&i=tmp_15818-20160413_1533052109706534.jpg&s=595&cw=0&ch=0&q=85&wmk=%21&check=f9aa0433efc65fb319b564ec198d8aaf998c9509)
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: harold on May 24, 2016, 05:24:52 PM
looks like the bug in the article, will scan it and try loading up a bit later.
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: harold on May 24, 2016, 09:09:47 PM
i have scanned the article,but cannot find how to load it in
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: dimitris on May 24, 2016, 10:49:16 PM
Harold! send it to me and I will upload it for you,

info( @ ) arillas.com
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: Charlieos07 on May 27, 2016, 05:22:26 AM
From what I've been told the stricken palm has to be burnt to the ground to kill off the beetles
 but it would appear this is not being done. On a positive note a palm within Sharon's pool bar has been cut right back to the crown and is now regrowing fresh green leaves. Once you start to notice how many trunks of palms have been left forlorn it seems something must be done to ensure their survival. It's not just Arillas, you can see dead palms all the way to the airport if you look for them.
Maybe the government of Corfu should be involved as they are a national treasure that I fear are facing a bleak future over time.
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: harold on May 27, 2016, 08:33:53 AM
i emailed an article to Dimitris about the problem and he is going to put the article up for me.its from the Menorcan version of the corfiot and they have the same problem
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: dimitris on May 28, 2016, 12:36:40 PM
That's the article it's very interesting reading it.
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: Ann K on May 28, 2016, 12:55:24 PM
Interesting indeed.  Not a pleasant thought that many of the palm trees in and around Arillas, or, come to that, Corfu entirely, could become infected.  Hopefully the trees can be treated before too much damage occurs.
Ann x
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: justphil on May 28, 2016, 11:44:37 PM
Thanks for posting Harold and Dimitri. It is so sad to see the destruction of such gorgeous palms. They are a feature of so many tavernas all over our place. With murder in my heart, I think a chemical solution killing all of the bugs might be the answer. The bugs are beautiful, but the palms are more important....

Phil
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: harold on May 29, 2016, 08:35:27 AM
agree phil and its not as if they are a local bug they seem to come from asia so have no natural preditors,It was ironic we end up in Menorca and find an article about this there
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: emeralddragons on May 30, 2016, 02:02:00 AM
Being from Finland I know next to nothing about palms, but I have been told that bug-infested palms need repeated doses of poison.
This would not be possible for everybody, as the poison - whatever it is - is expensive. And in order to succeed, ALL afflicted palms need to be treated. That will never happen.
In any case, we are talking about A LOT of poison here. Letīs not wish it upon ourselves, or upon the birds, or the bees, or any other member of the great circle of life.
Emeralddragon
Title: Re: Palms in Arillas
Post by: Anne on May 30, 2016, 11:46:05 AM
Just read this - This weevil usually infests palms younger than twenty years.[11] While the adult causes some damage through feeding, it is the burrowing of the larva into the heart of the palm that can cause the greatest mortality of trees. The adult female lays approximately two hundred eggs on new growth in the crown of the palm, at the base of young leaves, or in open lesions on the plant.[citation needed] The egg hatches into a white, legless larva. The larva will feed on the soft fibres and terminal buds, tunneling through the internal tissue of the tree for about a month. The larvae can occasionally grow to a length of six to seven centimeters.[12] At pupation, the larva will leave the tree and form a cocoon built of dry palm fibers in leaf litter at the base of the tree. The total life cycle takes about 7–10 weeks.[citation needed]