2009-12-13

Trees with Red Palm Weevil/ Picudo Rojo do not have to be removed.

It is possible to treat even a heavily infested tree.

This is done by removing the crown of the tree and injecting a tree with a concentrated insecticide, which kills eggs and grubs hidden deep in the tree. The tree will re-grow from the crown within a few months.

Due to the expense involved, it is advisable to only carry out this procedure on more mature trees, which are expensive to replace or if you really don't want to lose the tree and to use the professional services of a tree surgeon or qualified professional.

 

On an ongoing basis, valuable trees should be routinely protected by either injections or dousing with chemical insecticides .It is recommended that only qualified personnel should carry out injections, although anybody may spray their trees.

 

Should you decide to remove the tree and dispose of it completely these are the two methods given by the Ministry of Agriculture; Burying or incineration.

 

Burying.

You may bury a tree on your own plot . A hole should be dug 2 metres deep , the tree sprayed with insecticide and buried.

Anyone can do this.

 

Incineration.

Do NOT burn the tree yourself.

Palms have very wet cores , with extremely dense tissue which is designed to retain water in dry growing conditions. Burning will only singe the exterior of the tree unless it is left to dry for many months, by which time all the eggs will have hatched and the insects flown away.

Palms must be incinerated at high temperature to kill the eggs.

This is done at an incineration plant in Torre Pacheco, called Esvamed.

The owner of the plant tells us  that anyone may take their palms to the incineration plant and he charges 28 euros per 1000 kilos to incinerate them. Your vehicle will be weighed in and out and you will be charged by the kilo.

You must wrap the tree in plastic prior to transportation to ensure that the weevil do not have the chance to fly out in transit and gather ALL prunings and pieces of the tree for incineration.

He also recommends that the ground be thoroughly sprayed once the tree has been cut down to kill any insects or grubs that may have fallen out during the tree felling, and ALL sections must be incinerated.

Anyone can take their palms to the plant, no authorization is required to do this.

 

Both the Ministry and the plant owner stress the irresponsibility of domestic burning or dumping in the country and urge tree owners to ensure that their trees are disposed of correctly, even when you are on a limited budget.

 

Esvamed Planta de Tratamiento

Calle de la Hita 4

Torre Pacheco30700

 

Tel 968 585 288

Opening times 8am-2pm and 3pm-7pm, Monday- Saturday.

 CLICK HERE for map

For more information about how to diagnose the Red Palm Weevil/ Picudo Rojo,

CLICK HERE.

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