Pests of coconut palm - the black palm weevil

Abstract

The black palm weevil, Rhyncophorus bilineatus is a very damaging pest of coco­nut palms in Papua New Guinea. It occurs in all areas of the country where coconut palms are grown. The weevil is a secondary pest and will only attack coconut palms if they have already been damaged through knives, slasher or roller cuts and rhinoceros beetle damage. Although this weevil is a serious pest of coconut palms, very little is known about it.