Simon Wade
DESTRUCTIVE Red Palm Weevils in El Palmeral will be found quicker, thanks to modern technology developed by Orihuela City Council.
A pioneering project is being tested using sensors in selected palm trees in the Palmeral de San Antón.
The installation monitors different variations in the trunk and is capable of detecting the activity of Red Weevil larvae.
Data is collected from the sensors and transmitted through the internet, where it is analysed and viewed online and on mobile apps.
IMAGE CREDIT: Entymologytoday.org
The Councillor for the Environment, Dámaso Aparicio, said: “It is a solution designed for areas of difficult access or especially sensitive, where preventive treatments must be used where absolutely necessary.”
About the Red Weevil
The Red Palm Weevil (Picudo Rojo) is considered a widespread menace in Spain, having only arrived here in the last 20 years or so.
The Mediterranean climate encourages rapid reproduction, with a single female laying up to 400 eggs every three to four months.
The weevil reaches sexual maturity in four months, so expansion in numbers is exponential, given the right conditions.
They eat trees from the inside out, and also the more fleshy part of palm leaves.
Several generations cohabit in the same area, causing widespread destruction in a short space of time.
READ MORE:
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