Hailed by local experts as one of the deadliest plagues to hit southern Portugal, the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is starting to have a devastating effect on palm trees in the region, effects that are often only noticeable once it is too late. In neighbouring Spain the ‘evil-weevil' has already caused millions of euros in damage. Here in Portugal, its full consequences are as yet uncalculated, but disturbingly, they are increasingly visible.

The red weevil originates from southern Asia and Melanesia, where it viciously attacks coconut trees, and has been advancing westwards at a very rapid rate since the mid-1980s, recently arriving in Iberia.

In Spain thousands of trees have been ravished by the weevil. This year experts warn that numbers could reach 15,000.

Notorious for its lethal love of palm trees, the weevil is able to completely kill a mature specimen in just a few months, the most worrying fact being that the symp toms of infection are only usually noticeable when it is beyond treatment.

Last year concerns were first voiced in the Algarve when a number of weevil infections were reported, though given the weevil's highly-destructive and poten tially wide-spreading nature, surprisingly little has been explained about its effects, preventions or solutions available in Portugal.

A handful of cases have already been confirmed, the majority of these being in the central Algarve/ Albufeira region and Portimão.

The pest was originally recorded in the northern United Arab Emirates in 1985, the high rate of infestation being caused by human intervention, transporting infested young or adult date palm trees and offshoots from contaminated to uninfected areas.

In the Iberian Peninsula and other Mediterranean countries the two main palm species at risk are the Phoenix dactylifera and P.

canariensis(commonly called the Date and Canary palms), though other ornamental plants could be affected.

Evidence suggests the weevil was introduced to Spain via Egypt, main suppliers of ornamental adult Phoenix palms, to satisfy the very substantial demand that exists in southern Europe.

The first case in Iberia was reported in the mid-1990's, in the Almuñecar (Granada) region. Authorities took swift action, including a decree from the Spanish government in 1996 forbidding the importation of palms from countries where pests of the Rhynchophorus group had been recorded. However, in 2000 this decree was modified, subsequently lifting the ban on importing date palms from Egypt.

In an area that extends from Motril to Nerja, along the Mediterranean coast of Granada and Málaga, the weevil is still present and has spread to villages close to the initial points of infection. So far the Spanish government has spent an estimated €16 million on fighting the weevil.

Here in Portugal, in particular the Algarve, the effects of the weevil were first noticed by gardening and landscaping businesses, mystified by the sudden ailing of previously healthy palms, in many cases being contacted by worried homeowners.

It is thought that the weevil was brought to the Algarve through transportation and transplanting palms purchased in Spain.

Ken Butt, of Action Complete Pest Control, has already received numerous enquiries from around the region, having recently sourced a new product with which trees can be treated.

"Unless people start to take action now there will be a very high price to pay", he says.

"People pay lots of money for these palm trees and they need to be protected. If action is not taken, we could be facing a mass epidemic.

In Spain, it went from a few thousand trees to possibly 15,000 in a year. We can't bury our heads in the sand. It is happening", he cautions.

One of the best ways to prevent the death of a palm tree is by catching and killing the female weevil, who can apparently be lured from the tree by using bacon-traps.

Willem Stol, technical advisor for Dutch-based Plant Research International, said the infestation in Portugal can be likened to similar infections taking place in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain.

He confirmed the spreading of the weevil throughout the Mediterranean and Southern European countries was most probably caused by the importation of palm trees, with similar patterns emerging in tourist areas, normally heavily planted with palms.

Despite suggestions that governments in the Mediterranean should start to monitor palm trees and weevil infestations, so far they seem to be turning a blind eye. Only in Valência is there a programme actively in place.

The Ministry of Agriculture and leading environmental agency Quercus have so far been unable to supply The Portugal News with any official data on the extent of the damage being caused by this pest.

Specialising in strategic and applied research, Plant Research International has developed a product to treat infected trees, but of most concern is the rate at which the weevil spreads.

As Willem Stol explained, "We have a very good product for monitoring and mass-trapping of red palm weevil, but once infected, the weevils cannot be removed. The only solution then is to destroy the whole tree, to remove the material and bury or burn it".

He recommends that, to get this plaque under control, in the Algarve, a national or regional-wide programme should be put into operation.

"What I know from other areas is that if nothing is done a five-fold multiplication can easily be expected in one year, if not more. In Cyprus, in a single year, the number of trees infected multiplied ten-fold", he said.

Steve Townsend, of garden maintenance and landscaping company Greenfingers, also confirmed the number of phone calls he receives from concerned Algarve residents is increasing on a daily basis.

"It is pretty bad, a real pain", he told The Portugal News.

"Over the past two years the number of trees infested here in the Algarve has risen dramatically. They are now in Algoz, Quinta do Lago, Albufeira… all over.

"We can spray and inject them, but it is only really a preventative measure as opposed to being a cure. It is difficult to get rid of these insects, but not impossible. And it is costly".

Working so close with nature Steve Townsend has a first-hand insight in to just how vicious the weevils can be.

"It is devastating, so many beautiful old palm trees being completely destroyed", in some cases costing as much €20,000 to purchase.

In comments to The Portugal News, Lagoa City Hall engineer for gardens and green spaces, Engº Pimentel, confirmed the existence of an infected palm tree in the municipality, belonging to a private individual, though denied any of the Council's trees suffered from the problem.

"Fortunately none of Lagoa's municipal palm trees have this problem, but we do have resources ready should the situation occur. We have chemical and biological treatments".

Having found out about the infestation through a colleague, Engº Pimentel attended a conference in Spain to "gather literature" on the red palm weevil (or in Portuguese, ‘escaravelho roxo') should the problem strike with in his council.

The Portugal News