A Menace To Productivity Of Coconuts : The Coconut Hispine Beettle Brontispa Longissima Gestro (Coleoptera: Chrysom Elidae): Ways And Means To Manage The Pest And Increase Productivity And Income
The Coconut Hispine Beetle, Brontispa longissima Gestro (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is one of the most damaging pests of coconut and a range of ornamental palm species. Both larvae and adults of the beetle feed on tissues of developing, unopened leaves of the trees. The beetle can cause significant production losses, and high infestation levels may result in tree death. With assistance from FAO, the natural enemy Asecodes hispinarum, a larval parasitoid, has been collected in Samoa and introduced into affected countries in South East Asia and the Pacific to act as a biological control agent. The parasitoid has become established and initial results indicate that pest populations and damage is declining.