• Opisinia arenosella is one of the key pests of the coconut palm.
• It's outbreak often assumes severe proportions in the interior tracts near river belts, paddy fields and along the coastal areas in Tamil Nadu.

• The caterpillars construct galleries out of silken webs reinforced with excreta and the scraps of leaf bits.
• Hiding in these galleries, the caterpillars feed on the chlorophyll containing parenchymatous tissue. Only the upper epidermis is kept intact.
• These portions get dried presenting a scorched up appearance to the foliage. Palms of all ages are susceptible to this pest.
• Damage is normally confined to outer whorls of leaves. During sporadic outbreaks under severe infestation, all the leaves of the palm are affected.
• Very severe damage results in dropping of leaves and bunches.
• Damage to the leaves affects the photosynthetic efficiency of the palm which leads to severe decline in yield.
• Dried up / green patches on the upper epidermis of leaves, presence of larval galleries, moult and pupal cocoons on the lower surface of the leaves are the major symptom of infestation.
• When the infestation is old, the affected leaves are left only with the midrib of the leaflets.

• The pest occurs all through the year, with a maximum population during April to June and the minimum during September to December.

• The female moths lay eggs on the lower surface of the leaflets mostly near the tip, very close to the old larval gallery.
• Egg stage lasts for five days. The emerging larva feed voraciously on the chlorophyll containing tissues of leaflets.
• The larval period is completed in eight instars in about 42 days, including a distinct pre-purpal period.
• The pupal period is about 12 days. The adult longevity is 5-7 days.
• Egg to adult stage is completed in 2-2 1/2 months.
• Alternte hosts:
• Palmyra
• Borassus flabellifer Talipot
• Corypha umbraculifera Wild data
• Phoenix sylnestris and some other ornamental palms

• Parasitoids and predators effect significant suppression of O.arenosella in the field. Among 40 parasitoids recorded form India, the larval parasitoid Goniozus nephantidis (Mues.), the pre-pupal parasitoid Elasmus rephantidis Rohw. and the pupal parasitoid Brachymeria nosatoi Habu are promising ones.
• These parasitoids could be mass multiplied and released. The dose is to be fixed based on the target stage of the host present at the time of observation.
• Releases are to be done at fortnightly intervals. G. nephantis@ 20.5%, E. nephantidis @ 49.4% and B. nosatoi@ 31.9% is recommended.
• Other effective parasitoids are the larval parasitoids Apanteles taragamae and Bracon hebetor, pupal parasitoids Xanthopimpla punctata, Trichospilus pupivorus, Tetrastichus israeli etc.
• Among predators the immature and adult stages of the Parena nigrolineata and Calleida splendidula and the spider Chieracanthium spp., Rhene and Sparassus prevalent on O.arenosella infested coconut palm exert a significant degree of biological suppression of the pest.
• The bacterium Serratia marcescens kills the pest during rainy seasons and a fungi Aspergillus spp. have been found promising and require further study.

• Incidence of the pest is noticed from the month of November to May and from August to November after rainfall.
• Coconut trees of all ages are attacked.
• Among the larval parasitoids, the bethylid Parasierola nephantidis is the most effective in controlling the pest.
• Optimum level of release is 1:8 of host-parasite ratio.
• The parasite should be released @ 3000/ha under the coconut trees when the pest is in the 2nd or 3rd instar larval stage. Parasite release trap may be used to release the parasite at the site of feeding.
• Parasites should not be released in the crown region since they will be killed by predators like spiders and reduvid bugs.
• Remove and burn all affected leaves/leaflets.
• Release the larval (Bethylids, Braconid and Ichneumonid) and pupal (Eulophid) parasites and predators periodically from January, to check the build up of the pest during summer.
• Spray Malthion 50 EC 1 ml/litre to cover the undersurface of the leaves thoroughly in case of severe epidemic outbreak of the pest in young palms.

• Select a fresh and live root, cut sharply at an angel and insert the root in the insecticidal solution containing Monocrotophos 36 WSC 10 ml + water 10 ml in a 7 x 10 cm polythene bag.
• Secure the bag tightly to the root with a cotton thread.
• Twenty four hours later, check whether there is absorption.
• If there is no absorption select another root.
• These methods should not be resorted to as a routine practice and it is suggested only for cases of severe epidemic outbreak of the pest and when survival of the tree is threatened.

• It sucks the sap from developing buttons and causes immature nut fall, malformation of the nuts or production of barren nuts. Severe infestation may lead to heavy yield loss.

• The scale insects attack the plants both in nursery and adult stages.
• There are several species of scales infesting coconut palm. These tiny insects feed on the lower side of leaflets, rachillae, buttons or tender nuts. Due to their feeding, leaves show yellowing and the vitality of the plant is drastically reduced.
• This results in yield loss because of button shedding and immature nut fall.
• Infestation is more severe in areas where the palms are replanted with closure spacing without proper management.
• Some times plants growing in poor soils are also target of this pest. During drought spells the outbreak of the pest is more severe.
• Crawlers move out to healthy leaflets, cluster in large numbers on the underside of leaflets feeding on cell sap.

• The insects are very small, circular, covered with a semitransparent, yellowish or orange coloured slightly convex scale.
• They form groups and suck the sap from the lowerside of the older leaflets, rachillae, buttons or tender nuts.
• In severe cases, the insects form a continuous crust, blocking the stomata.
• The leaves affected by this pest shows yellowing which is different from deficiency symptoms.

• A few types of coccinellied beetles are found be preadators of scale insects.

• Pluck mature nuts and spray Monocrotophos 1 ml/litre of water.
• Do not harvest nuts for 1 1/2 months after spraying.

• Recently severe outbreaks of a nut infesting eriophyid mite was noticed in all parts of\ Tamil Nadu causing heavy damage to coconut yield.

• Spreading of mites mostly occurred through the wind. Spreading of this mite has also taken place through the mechanical transfer of the affected nuts from one place to another.

• When the feeding activity is enhanced due to increased population build up, it results in physical damage to the newly formed tissues which become necrotic.
• Intensive damage leads to the formation of brown coloured patches later on. In addition, as the nut grows in size, longitudinal tissues and splits occur on the outer surface of the husk.
• Occasionally, brownish gummy exudate is seen oozing out from the affected surface.
• Severe infestation results in poor growth, reduced size and copra content and malformed nuts with cracks and hardened husk.

• Mites are usually found under the bracts of fertilised female flowers and do not infest the unfertilized flowers. This mite is very minute in size measuring 200-250 micron in length and 36-52 micron in width with two pairs of legs.
• It is pale in colour with elongate body and worm like appearance.
• The life cycle of this mite, which consists of egg, two larval instars and an adult stage, is completed in 7-10 days.

With the present know-how it becomes necessary to adopt chemical control measures with pesticidal spraying to manage the mite. Biological control methods are yet to be developed. Studies are in progress on the possibility of bio control of the mite using predacious mites/insects and pathogenic fungus like Hirsutella thompsonii. Investigations on the management of the pest with various pesticides carried out at CPCRI have proved the effectiveness of the following pesticides.

• Spraying of affected palms with a mixture of 2 percent neem oil, garlic and soap mixture has been found to be effective. To prepare one litre of the above mixture 20 ml neem oil, 20g of cleaned garlic pearls and 5g washing soap are required. Dissolve the soap in 500 ml of water and add the neem oil to this solution and mix it well so that it forms an emulsion. In another 500 ml water mix the well ground garlic and add this to the soap neem oil mixture by sieving through a cloth to remove the debris of garlic pearls. This mixture is stirred well and thus can be used for spraying. The same shall be used on the day of preparation.
• Spot application of any one of the following ecofriendly agents preferably during non rainy season (three sprays/year).
• Azadirachtin 1000ppm(1%)- 5.0 ml/lt of water
• Neem oil (2%) -30 ml / lit of water
• Root feeding can be adopted wherever spraying is difficult
• Azadirachtin 5% 7.5 ml. + 7.5 ml. Of water / tree
• Azadirachtin 1% 10ml. + 10ml. Of water / tree

• Application of recommended dose of N (urea-1.3kg) and P (Super phosphate -2kg) and increased dose of K (MoP-3.5kg) / tree/year.
• Application of FYM 50kg and neem cake 5kg / tree/year.
• Soil application of micronutrients as per local recommendation.
• Borax 50g / tree/ year
• Gypsum 1.0kg / tree/year
• Magnesium sulphate 0.5kg/tree /year
(or)
• TNAU Micronutrient solution -200ml/ tree
• Basin cultivation of a green manure crop like sunnhemp, cowpea, calapagonium etc and incorporating insitu.
• Judicious irrigation management and inter crop cultivation mulching of coconut leaves and husk in the basin Recycling of bio-mass generated in the coconut ecosystem.

• Sulphur is recommended for spraying at 0.4 percent concentration for mite control (5g per litre of water).
• Spraying of either 0.2 percent triazophos/0.1 percent endosulfan/0.1 percent dicofol/0.05 percent carbosulfan has also been recommended for the effective management of the mite based on field trials.

• The success of pesticidal spraying against the mite is dependent on the careful application of pesticide. It is to be understood that the mite colonies are lodged on the inner soft tissues of the developing nuts covered by perianth region so as to provide its penetration into the perianth lobes and inner surface through capillary action.
• The size of the spray droplets is very important. The insecticide should be applied as fine droplets on the perianth region and general surface of nuts. For this 1-1.5 litre of spray solution is required. Before spraying, the mature bunches should be harvested. Spraying need to be carried only on the bunches. The unpollinated bunches and leaves in the crown are not to be sprayed.
• Pesticidal spraying has to be done at the appropriate time. The mite population is active all round the year. However, infestation is at its peak during summer after receipt of summer showers. Depending on the population build up of the pest spraying has to be carried out during March-April after the receipt of summer showers, post monsoon (October-November) and early summer (December-January) seasons. It is desirable that all the palms in one particular area are covered at the shortest interval.
• Considering the ecological problems and environmental hazards of adopting chemical spraying in the vast stretches of coconut gardens in contiguous areas, it is now generally agreed upon to have a pesticide holiday in the management of eriophyid mite. This approach will enhance the scope for the build-up of natural enemy complex in the pest infested localities.

• All the mature nuts are to be harvested before root feeding. Tender coconuts and mature nuts should be harvested only 45 days after root feeding.

• The grown up caterpillars feed on coconut leaves leaving the midrib alone as sticks.
• Young larvae are mostly found feeding at the terminal end of young leaflets.
• Simultaneous feeding by thousands of larvae in the garden produces audible feeding sound.
• The fecal pellets are found on the ground under the affected trees in large quantities.

• Adults lay eggs in groups firmly glued on the leaves and arranged in 1-2 rows containing 7-13 eggs.
• Eggs are very hard, fairly large, and round in shape with brown mottlings and ring like markings. The egg period is 4 days.

• Young caterpillars are brown in colour with two pink stripes whereas the grown up caterpillars are green in colour with swollen head.
• A pink coloured 'V' shaped marking is seen on the head and two longitudinal pink stripes are found on the larval body.
• The caterpillars are rough skinned and cling firmly to the leaves without falling.
• The larval period is 20 days.

• They pupate in leaf folds made by webbing and the pupal period is 9-10 days.

• The adult moths are dull white in colour with bipectinate antennae and bulged abdomen.

• Mealy bugs are sucking pests.
• They are small in size and occur in small colonies at the bases of spear leaf, spadex, inflorescence and perianth of tender nuts.

• The build up of the pest begins soon after the cessation of monsoon rains.
• It reaches a peak during the hot summer months.
• Incidence of this pest is particularly severe in drought years

• The insects are oval in shape and measure about 2-3 mm.
• They are soft bodied with a waxy, white powdery covering.
• They form small colonies and suck the sap from the spear leaf, spadex, inflorescence and perianth of tender nuts. As a result, the tender unopened fronds remain highly stunted, deformed and suppressed.
• In severely infested trees immature nut fall has been reported.

• Remove leaflets harbouring these insects and destroy them.
• Spray any one of the following
• Malthion at 2 ml/litre of water
• Dimethoate 1 ml/litre
• Methyldemeton 1 ml/litre
• Monocrotophos 1 ml/litre
• Application of neem oil (30 ml/lite) is effective in controlling mealy bug.

• Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is the dreaded key pest of coconut palm in India. The pest is present in almost all coconut growing tracts of Tamil Nadu.
• The severity of the pest damage is confined to certain endemic pockets such as areas having high water table and the associated luxcuriant growth of the palm, areas affected by leaf rot disease, root (wilt) affected palms and the bud rot disease.

• The female weevil scoops out small holes in the soft tissues of the cut or damaged parts of the coconut palms and deposits eggs there.
• The grubs on hatching start tunnelling the live tissues of the palm. Feeding by a number of grubs or feeding by a few in the bud region results in the death of the palm.
• The symptoms manifested at a late stage of weevil infestation are the presence of holes, oozing out of viscous brown fluid and extrusion of chewed up fibres through the holes, longitudinal splitting of leaf bases and withering of the control spindle.
• In severe and later stages of infestation the sound of gnawing and breaking of fibres could be heard in silent environment.
• Quite often the infestation would become evident only when the growing point of the palm is damaged and the crown is toppled.

• Throughout the year, Young palms are more susceptible (upto 10-15 years).

• A female lays as many as 276 white eggs which are oval.
• The incubation period lasts for 2-5 days.
• The larval period extends from 36 to 78 days and pupates in a fibrous cocoon inside the trunk itself.
• It emerges in about 12 to 33 days.

• The eggs of the weevil are creamy-white in colour, long, oval in shape and slightly broad at one end.
• They are translucent, perfectly smooth and shining.
• The average size of an egg is 2.62 mm long and 1.12 mm wide.
• The eggs increase in size slightly before hatching and the brown mouth-parts at the narrow end of the egg can be distinctly seen through the shell.

• Fully grown grub is a conical shaped larva, stout in the middle, and pointed towards both ends.
• The larva is stout, fleshy and apodal.
• The head is brown in colour and pointed downwards.
• Mouth parts are well developed and strongly chitinised, which enable the grubs to burrow into the hard woody portions of the palms.
• The average length of the larva, when fully grown is 50 mm and the mean width in the middle is 20 mm.
• The freshly hatched young larva is yellowish-white in colour, with pale brown mouth parts.

• The larva constructs a cocoon of fibre.
• The inside fibres are more closely matted together than those outside, which are arranged spirally.
• The interior of the cocoon is smooth and is platered with a dark coloured secretion.
• The cocoon is oval in shape varying in length from 50 mm to 95 mm and in width from 25 mm to 40 mm.

• The pupa is at first cream coloured but later turns brown.
• Its surface is shiny, but greatly furrowed and reticulated.
• The head is bent ventrally, the rostrum reaching the tibia of the first pair of legs.
• The antennae and eyes are quite prominent.
• The average length of the pupa is 35 mm and the width is 15 mm.

• The head and rostrum comprise about one-third of the total length.
• The mouth parts are elongated in the form of a slender snout or rostrum, which bears a small pair of biting jaws at the apical end and a pair of antennae near the base.

• The fertile weevil starts egg laying generally from the fifth day of its emergence.The eggs are laid singly in the softer portions of the palms. Sometimes the eggs are laid loose when there is enough of moist decaying matter in the trunks of the palms.
• The incubation period of the eggs varies from two to five days depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
• When the egg hatches, the larva begins feeding towards the interior of the palm stems.
• The larva may be found in any part of the palm, viz., the bole, stem or the crown in case of young plants up to five years old.
• But as the palms advance in age, the grubs are generally confined to the portions of the stem close to the growing point.
• In palms above fifteen years, the larvae are generally found in the stem two or three feet below the crown, in the crown and in the bases of leaf petioles.
• The larval period ranges from 36 to 78 days and is on an average 55 days.
• The fully developed grubs, construct their cocoons by winding around themselves a number of tough fibrous threads to form a stout, compact, elongate-oval cocoon.
• The pupal period varies from 12 to 20 days.
• The weevils after emergence from the pupal cases, remain inside the cocoon, and this period ranges from 4 to 17 days with an average of 8 days. The weevils remain active during day and night and activity is at its maximum from sunrise to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m.
• Mating takes place at any time of the day and the males and females mate many a time during their lifetime.
• The female generally starts oviposition from the day succeeding pairing, but sometimes this period may be extended upto one week.
• Oviposition continues for about 45 days and during this period the weevil lays on an average 204 eggs.
• The maximum number of eggs laid by a single female was 355 in 42 days and the minimum was 76 in 26 days.
• The weevils of both sexes live for two to three months.

• Palmyra, date palm, oil palm, sugar palm, sago palm, royal pal, talipot palm, serdang palm, some ornamental palm and also reported to be bread on aloe.

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a CPV, a rod shaped virus and yeast like organisms were isolated from R.ferrugenius.
• Scotia erratica as a parasite of the larvae.
• A few mites (Uropodids) may cling on the body and there by affect their mobility. These mites are persumed to be phoretic.

• The pheromone 'ferrolure' is widely used for the control of red palm weevil. The pheomone sachet/dispenser is hung on the inner sides of the lid of a bucket trap, using a metal wire. A food bait of pineapple 100g, yeast 2g and carbaryl 5g mixed in one litre of water can be used in the trap.

• Remove and burn all wilting or damaged palms in coconut gardens to prevent further perpetuation of the pest.
• Avoid injuries on stems of palms as the wounds may serve as oviposition sites for the weevil. Fill all holes in the stem with cement.
• Avoid the cutting of green leaves. If needed, they should be cut about 120 cm away from the stem.
• Fill the crown and the top most three leaf axils with a mixture of fine sand and carbaryl 5 D (1:1 by volume) once in three months to prevent the attack of rhinocerous beetle damage in which the red palm weevil lays eggs.
• Setting up of attractant traps (mud pots) containing sugarcane molasses 2 1/2 kg/toddy 2 1/2 litres + acetic acid 5 ml + yeast 5 g + longitudinally split tender coconut stem/logs of green petiole of leaves of 30 numbers in one acre to trap adult red palm weevils in large numbers.
• Root feeding: Detailed under Black headed caterpillar management
• Insert one or two tablets of Aluminium phosphide inside the tunneled trunk and plug all the holes with clay or cement mixed with quantify to kill the insect by fumigant action.

• Select a fresh and live root, cut sharply at an angel and insert the root in the insecticidal solution containing Monocrotophos 36 WSC 10 ml + water 10 ml in a 7 x 10 cm polythene bag.
• Secure the bag tightly to the root with a cotton thread.
• Twenty four hours later, check whether there is absorption.
• If there is no absorption select another root.
• These methods should not be resorted to as a routine practice and it is suggested only for cases of severe epidemic outbreak of the pest and when the survival of the tree is threatened.

• Oryctes rhinoceros is one of the key pests of the coconut palm, and is distributed in almost all the major coconut growing tracts in Tamil Nadu. Adult beetle is the destructive stage of the pest. It infests coconut palms at all stages of its growth causing direct and indirect crop loss.

• Adult beetle bores through the unopened fronds. Quite often the unopened inflorescence (spathes) are also infested and damaged.
• Infested fronds when opened show characteristic geometric cuts ('V' shaped or Diamond Shaped).
• The functional leaf area of the palm is considerably reduced.
• It estimated that this pest, on an average causes 10 per cent loss in production of nuts.
• The injured portion may attract other pests such as red palm weevil and other fungal pathogens.
• Thus, this pest causes both direct and indirect damage.
• Fresh chewed up fibres in the innermost leaf axils indicate fresh feeding and the presence of beetle inside the tunnel.

• This pests occurs throughout the year and the peak emergence of the adults is seen during June to August.

• The beetle breeds in decaying organic matter. Cattle dung heaps, compost pits, felled coconut logs and stumps, coir dust, saw dust heaps etc., are the preferred breeding sites.
• Egg period lasts for 8-14 days; larval period in three instars is 75-191 days. Pupal period 14-29 days; adult resting period in cocoons 4-26 days. Total lifecycle is completed in 3-9 months

• Palmyrah, wild date, oil palm, areca, royal palm, date palm, sogapalm and sugarcane.

• Platymeris laevicollis an exotic Reduviid predator can be released in infested coconut garden @ 6 bugs per palm at regular intervals for successful control.
• There are many predatory beetles associated with the immature stages of the pest in the breeding grounds. Santalus parallelus, Pherosophus spp, Scarites spp., Harpalus spp. and Agrypuus spp. are the important ones.
• The green muscardine fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (5 x 10¹¹ spores/m³) and the Baculoviruses of Oryctes are potential pathogens that are employed for biological suppression of the pest

• 'Orycta' or Rhino lure is used for trapping Oryctes rhinoceros. Vane trap is used for this purpose. The trap is hung on top of the pole of 3 metre height. Locally the Department of Agriculture, Government of Tamil Nadu is supplying the pheromone traps to the farmers at subsidy rate for management purpose.

• Remove and burn all dead coconut trees in the garden (which are likely to serve as good breeding ground) to maintain good sanitation.
• Collect and destroy the various bio-stages of the beetle from the manure pits (breeding ground of the pest) whenever manure is lifted from the pits.
• Incorporate the entomopathogen i.e. fungus (Metarhizium anisopliae) in manure pits to check the perpetuation of the pest, when the manure is partially decomposed.
• Soak castor cake at 1 kg in 5 litres of water in small mud pots and keep them in the coconut gardens to attract and kill the adults.
• Treat the longitudinally split tender coconut stem and green petiole of fronds with fresh toddy and keep them in the garden to attract and trap the beetles.
• Examine the crowns of tree at every harvest and hook out and kill the adults.
• For seedlings, apply 3 nos. of naphthalene balls/palm (weighing 3.5 g each) at the base of interspace in leaf sheath in the 3 inner most leaves of the crown once in 45 days.
• Set up light traps following the first rains in summer and monsoon period to attract and kill the adult beetles.
• Field release of Baculovirus inoculated adult rhinoceros beetle reduces the leaf and crown damage caused by this beetle.
• Mixture of either neem seed powder + sand (1:2) @ 150 g per palm or Neem Seed Kernel powder + Sand (1:2) @ 150 g per palm applied in the base of the 3 inner most leaves in the crown effectively controlled rhinoceros beetle damage.

• The caterpillar is greenish brown, slug like with broad anterior and narrow posterior. It has tiny bunches of minute urticating hairs all over the body on the sides and dorsum in rows.
• Fully grown larvae (1-1.5 cm) feed on the leaf blade irregularly.
• The larval period lasts for 25-45 days.
• The larva pupates inside a round white shell like cocoon attached on leaves.
• Pupation nearly lasts for a fortnight.
• Brown coloured adult moths with wings emerge from the cocoon.
• Females are larger with a filiform antenna and males are smaller with a bipectinate antenna.
• They lay about 200 eggs in groups on leaves.
• The attack is mostly restricted to tall trees.
• Affected leaf fronds show burnt appearance and in case of severe attack the whole tree looks dry.

• Remove the affected leaves in the lower rows.
• Spray dichlorvos at 2 ml/litre of water with a pedal pump/rocker sprayer/tractor mounted power operated pump and spray gun to reach the tree top.
• Root feeding with monocrotophos (10 ml + 10ml) after selecting a feeder root.
• A waiting period of 45 days must be observed from application to harvest.
• Monitor the pest occurrence in new areas with the help of light traps to attract moths.
• Leaflets have to be observed for fresh incidence by cutting 1-2 leaf fronds in the garden.
• Other minor defoliators viz., Lotoia lepida, Macroplectra narraria, Gangara thyrsis and Saustus greminus also occur sprodically.

• Polyphagous, common in sandy, sandy loam's and laterite soils.
• Termites are social insects, live in mud nests or termitaria, have distinct castes, workers, kings and queen.
• Queen lives for several years and lays several thousand eggs every day.

• These cause serious damage to seedlings in nurseries and transplanted seedlings particularly in the earlier stages.
• They gnaw into the husk and the tender roots, and more serious loss is caused when they nibble at the tender growing point.

• It is difficult to detect the trouble unitl the seedlings show signs of withering, when it will be too late to save them.
• Termites damge both coconut and oil palm in nursery and the transplanted seedlings.

• Wilting of the central shoot, stunted growth and presence of mud galleries are typical symptoms of attack.
• In neglected orchards mud galleries can also be seen on the trunks

• Copious irrigation and drenching nurseries or basin of transplanted seedlings, with chlorpyriphos or quinalphos is recommended.
• Digging the termitaria and destruction of the queen is most important in termite management.
• Locate termite mounds in or near the coconut nursery or garden and destroy.
• Use chlorpyriphos 20 TC at 2 ml/litre
• Spray Neem oil 5% (50 ml/lite) once on the base and upto 2 m height of the trunk for effective control.

• White grubs or root grubs are pests of coconut in some localised areas of Tamil Nadu.

• Grubs feed on the apical soft region of the coconut roots. Infestations affects the process of absorption of nutrients adversely.
• Infested palms show yellowing of leaves and immature nuts fall.
• Infestation in a garden continuously for a few years results in stunted growth of young palms. In nurseries, they cause drying up of leaves and gradual death of seedlings.

• Adults emerge in May - June and the presence of the grubs is seen almost throughout the year.

• Beetles lay eggs in soil at different depths. Eggs hatch in about three weeks.
• The newly emerged grubs feed on the roots of small plants and after a few days they divert their attention to tender roots of coconut. The life cycle is completed in about an year.

• A Gregarine protozoan pathogen of white grub and fungi like Beaveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae have been reported.

• This makes minute, numerous holes and makes the palms wilt.
• This can be controlled by stem injection through a stove wick soaked in 0.2% (2 ml/litre) Fenthion or 0.2% (2 ml/litre) Dichlorvos and plugging the hole and repeating the treatment using the same wick and hole a month after.

• Poison baiting with ripe banana fruit sandwiched with 0.5 g Carbofuran 3 G granules.
• Tree banding with inverted iron cores or prosophis thorns. Baiting with bromodiolone 0.05% at 10 g/tree at crown region twice at an interval of 12 days.