ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 114 Insect Pests ..................................................................................................................................... 115
Red Palm Weevil ....................................................................................................................... 115 Species .................................................................................................................................. 115 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 115 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 115 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 115
Rhinoceros Beetles .................................................................................................................... 115 Species .................................................................................................................................. 115 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 116 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 116 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 116
Long Horn Date Stem Borer ..................................................................................................... 116 Species .................................................................................................................................. 116 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 116 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 116 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 117
Plant Hopper (Dubas Bug) ........................................................................................................ 117 Species .................................................................................................................................. 117 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 117 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 117 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 117
Lesser Date Moth (Hemira) ...................................................................................................... 117 Species .................................................................................................................................. 117 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 117 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 118 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 118
Scale Insects .............................................................................................................................. 118 Species .................................................................................................................................. 118 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 118 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 118 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 118
Wasps ........................................................................................................................................ 118 Species .................................................................................................................................. 118 Importance ............................................................................................................................ 118 Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 119 Life History .......................................................................................................................... 119
Other Insects.............................................................................................................................. 119
The date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is attacked by a number of insect and mite pests. Pest problems vary in severity from country to country, which makes it difŸcult to cover all details of each insect in a way that would apply to every country. In addition, the insect life cycle is affected by environmental conditions and local agricultural practices. Such effects can lead to differences in the timing of adult emergence, mating, egg laying times, and so on. Therefore, this chapter is written in a general format knowing that local details could be easily obtained from local pest control personnel in each country. The objectives of this chapter are (1) to mention the Ÿeld insect and mite pests of date palms, (2) to describe the importance, appearance, and life history of major pests, (3) to provide a general synopsis of damage done by each pest, and (4) to give guidelines on pest control within an integrated pest management (IPM) program. In talking about insects, I have emulated the writing style used by Larry P. Pedigo in his book Entomology and Pest Management, 4th edition. Information on date palm insects and mites in this chapter are derived from the author’s Ÿeld work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and from El-Haideri and Al-HaŸdh (1986), Zaid et al. (2002), Gassouma (1991), Najeeb (2001), Hussain (1963), and RedPalmWeevil (2009). Other references are mentioned within the text.
