OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCAD CROWN

Cycads Under Siege.

Cycads in Southern Africa under siege by a very common beetle.

This beetle most commonly known for the destruction of the mielie plant is now also turning to cycads.

The beetle or beetles has been successfully identified by scientists as the following:

Sitophilus Oryzae (Rice Weevil) and Sitophilus Granarius (Wheat Weevil).

Sitophilus Oryzae (Rice Weevil) Sitophilus Granarius (Wheat Weevil)

Wees op die uitkyk vir die goggas!!! (Dankie Frikkie!!!) WEEVIL ATTACKING AND LITERALLY EATING UP YOUR CYCAD!!!! NOT A NEW BEATLE (WEEVIL) QUITE AN OLD ONE, IT JUST A MORE COMMON SITE IN GARDENS, THE SAME WEEVIL ATTACKING AND DESTROYING PALM TREES AND DESTROYING MIELIE HARVESTS BY THE HUNDREDS IN TRANSVAAL (GAUTENG) ?. WITH ALL THE INFLUX OF CYCADS OUT OF NATURE, WHICH GOT TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL, WHICH CAN NOT BE CONTROLLED BY NATURE CONSERVATION!!! ALL THE PLANTS WITH ALL THE NATURAL INSECTS WITHOUT THEIR NATURAL PREDATORS AND MAYBE WARMER SUMMERS WHERE THE SUMMERS IS HOT AND THE INSECTS LIVE LONGER THAN ONE SEASON, WHERE IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT THEIR LIVE SPAN AND POPULATION GETS CONTROLLED BY THE COLDER WEATHER AND NATURAL PREDATORS KEEP THEIR POPULATION IN CONTROL ONCE YOU NOTICE THESE HOLES 3-5mm IN SIZE ON THE CROWN, CENTRE OR THE BOTTOM PART OF AN CYCAD CLOSE TO THE SOIL, LIKELY THE SMALLER WEEVIL ATTACKING YOUR CYCAD, THIS ONE COULD ATTACK FROM ANYWHERE, DEPENDING IF THE CYCAD SYSTEM IS DOWN OR THE CYCAD PICKED UP DAMAGE WHEN TRANSPORTING, NORMALLY CYCADS CLOSE TO AND OVER 1m TALL, IN THE CENTRE PART. YOU SHOULD BE AWARE, VERY AWARE, THE BEST SOLUTION IS TO SPRAY WITH AN INSECTICIDE, QUITE AN STRONG MIX AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, IF YOU COULD HAVE DRENCHED THE CYCAD EVEN THE BETTER!! THE LARVAE COMING FROM IT’S EGGS ARROW 3, QUITE A BIG CHAP MUNCHING AWAY ON YOUR CYCAD. THE WEEVIL AND THE LARVAE MUNCHES YOUR CYCAD WITHIN TWO WEEKS FLAT, BEFORE YOU KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A FUNERAL. ARROW 2, IF YOU NOTICE THE SCALES OF THE STEM OPENING UP IN THE SAME AREA AS THE HOLE APPEARING, YOU SHOULD START INVESTIGATING AND TRY AND PUL OUT SOME OF THE SCALES, IF YOU FIND HOLES AND PARTS OF THE SCALE AS IN FIG 5 BEING EATON YOU CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM IN HAND. DO NOT HESITATE OPEN UP THE INFECTED AREA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TREAT THE INFECTED AREA!!! PLEASE DO NOT AT FIRST SIGHT RIP THE CYCAD OUT OF THE GARDEN AND START CUTTING IT WITH A SAW, YOU MIGHT JUST DO MORE HARM THAN ANYTHING ELSE. THE CYCAD MIGHT JUST HAVE A PROPER ROOT STRUCTURE AND IS GROWING QUITE WELL. BY RIPPING IT OUT OF THE SOIL AND START CUTTING IT, YOU MIGHT JUST HAVE RUINED THE POOR CHAPS ONLY AND LAST CHANCE OF SURVIVAL IF THE WOUND IS TO BIG AND LEAVES AN UGLY SITE YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CONSIDER PUTTING SOME SOIL AROUND THE STEM, WHICH WILL LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE LIFTED THE PLANT OUT OF THE SOIL AND PLACING A COUPLE OF ROCKS AROUND IT. REMEMBER IN NORMAL CONDITIONS YOU MIGHT ALWAYS FIND SMALLER HOLES IN THE SCALES OF THE STEM OF A CYCAD, BUT IN NATURE THE CYCADS AND THE WEEVILS LIVE IN HARMONY TOGETHER. JUST BE ON THE LOOKOUT ON THE CYCADS IN A GARDEN AND SPRAY ONCE A YEAR FOR PRECAUTION.

OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCAD CROWN PIC 4 AND PIC 6 JUST TO DEMONSTRATE HOW BIG THESE WEEVILS AND LARVAE IS REALLY, IN PIC 4 WE DEMONSTRATE WITH A CIGARETTE AGAINST THE HOLE OF THE WEEVIL, CIGARETTE DIAMETER IN THE CLOSE SIZE OF 8MM, ALMOST 1CM. IN PIC 7 YOU CAN SEE THE SIZE OF THE CACOON, QUITE ENORMOUS, NO WONDER THEY EAT UP YOUR CYCAD WITHIN TWO WEEKS. IN PIC 6 YOU COULD ACTUALLY SEE THE WEEVIL CLIMBING OUT OF THE SCALE WHEN DISTURBED. AT FIRST GLANCE, OPENING UP, REMOVING THE DEAD SCALES WHERE THE WEEVILS DAMAGED THE SCALES, I FOR A MOMENT THOUGHT THERE IS SOME CROCODILES IN THE CYCAD.

IN THESE PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE WE JUST WANT TO DEMONSTRATE THE SIZE OF THE WEEVIL AN THE SIZE OF THE WEEVIL CACOON. COMPARED TO THE SIZE OF A MATCH BOX. PLEASE JUST BE AWARE OF THESE WEEVILS AND BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THEM. DO NOT BE CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS ON YOUR KNEES, PLEASE TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AND IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO OR WHAT TO SPRAY GET THE EXPERTS IN. YOU CAN ALWAYS PHONE THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THEY HAVE A SPECIALIZED GROUP WORKING ON JUST ALL OUR PLANT ENEMY’S AT THE ROODEPLAAT DAM AND THEY ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP. SO PICK UP YOUR PHONE, OR GET IN YOUR CAR AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

JUST ANOTHER LITTLE BIT OF ADVICE, THESE WEEVILS DON’T JUST ATTACK NEW TRANSPLANTED PLANTS, THEY CAN ALSO ATTACK A WELL ESTABLISHED CYCAD THAT’S BEEN IN A GARDEN FOR MANY YEARS. REMEMBER THE PALM TREES THEY ATTACK, IS ALSO PALMS THAT HAS GROWN UP IN GARDENS FOR MANY YEARS.

POISONS YOU CAN USE TO SPRAY THESE PLANTS AS PER LIST ATTACHED.

If you see this silhouette you do have a

big problem on hand.

Some of the signs to look out for.

3-5 mm holes to look out for and

act emediatly!!

With all these holes you do have an big

problem on hand.

scratch out all the dead material to ensure there is no beetle or

larvae hiding in there!!!

OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCAD OLD

Larvae munching away on your cycad!!! Watch your cycad getting destroyed!!!

Please do not kill Mr. Spiderman, he is only doing his Job!!!

Typical holes in scale munched by larvae!!!

One success story many moons later.

why wood anyone want to kill the poor little Ladybird, she is but only munching a bit of your leaves on your cycad and maybe helping with controlling pests!!!

MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCAD CROWNOLD

LARVAE

GIGANTIC WEEVIL, STORY TO FOLLOW

PIC. DEMONSTRATES THE SIZE OF THE BEATLE AND LARVAE IN THE CACOON BEFORE THE LARVAE APPEARS AND DESTROYS YOUR CYCAD.

DO NOT ALWAYS SPRAY AND KILL ALL THE INSECTS IN YOUR GARDEN, THEY MIGHT JUST BE NATURAL PREDATORS FOR THE CYCAD ENEMIES

Larvae in metamorphosis stadium!!!

OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCADCROWN

EAST ENTRANCE UNION BUILDINGS (NATURE CONSERVATION)

Sad, sad story!!! ONE TO TWO HUNDRED YEARS OLD GONE FOREVER!!!

OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCAD CROWN

SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, IT AINT GONA GO AWAY!!!

. MAIN ENTRANCE S.A.B.S. PRETORIA.

OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCADCROWN

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

DO NOT SPRAY TO MUCH YOU WILL KILL THESE PREDATORS AS WELL

Poor old butterfly is also no going to make it!!

OLD MAIZE WEEVIL ATTACK ON YOUR CYCAD

CROWN

Stored Product Pest Control

WEEVILS

The Grain weevil (Sitophilus granarius) can only breed in grain with a moisture content of more than

9.5 % and at temperatures within the range 13 - 35 °C. The female lays about 200 eggs at a rate of 2 - 3

per day depending upon temperature and humidity, placing each one in a small hole bored in the grain

and sealing it in with a mucilaginous plug of saliva. At 18 - 20 °C the eggs hatch in 8 - 11 days to give

small, white, legless larvae which feed on the endosperm of the grain. Only one larva develops in

small grains such as wheat and rice but large grains such as maize will support the development of

several. Larvae are never free-living and develop entirely within the grain. They moult four times,

finally pupating within the grain after 6 - 8 weeks. The adults emerge after a further 5-16 days and will

live for about 9 months. If disturbed they will feign death by drawing their legs up to their bodies and

remaining still. At 15 °C and a grain moisture content of 11.3% the full life- cycle takes 6 months.

The life-cycles of the Rice and Maize weevils (Sitophilus oryzae & Sitophilus zeamais respectively)

follow a similar course to that of the Grain weevil. Grain weevils are frequently regarded as primary

pests of grain since they are able to infest otherwise undamaged grain. They will however also

attack other hard cereal products, e.g. macaroni and spaghetti. Fine cereal products are unsuitable for

breeding purposes unless they become caked. The Maize weevil will breed on maize in the field, but

the Rice weevil only breeds in stored grain.

STORED PRODUCT MOTHS

The Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia kuehniella) is a particular problem in provender mills,

bakeries and occasionally even in catering premises. One generation is usually produced, but in warm

conditions adults will be present throughout the year when there may be 4 - 6 generations. Mating

takes place immediately after the adults emerge. Up to 350 eggs are laid and these may be stuck to

various foods by a sticky secretion. The eggs hatch in 4 - 28 days to give white or pinkish larvae and

spin silken tubes in which they live. After 3 - 5 moults the larvae are full grown and 15 - 19mm long.

They then wander away from food and pupate for 7-16 days in the dark corners of buildings or

machinery. In temperate climates these moths overwinter as larvae but, in contrast to other species,

usually remain in the foodstuff. Moth larvae can cause considerable damage to stored goods by

feeding or by contamination with their own products, e.g. webbing and frass. Adult insects are not

responsible for damage as they either feed on liquid food and water or do not feed at all. The larval

by-products, webbing and frass, are a particular problem. Webbing can entirely coat commodities and

may be responsible for blocking machinery and ducts. The problem is exacerbated when webbing

becomes mixed with frass, food and general debris. Larval webbing of the Mediterranean Flour Moth

can cause serious blockages in provender mills. The larvae eat holes in sifting silks and may also reach

the mill's finished products.

Copyright © 2009 Coopers Environmental Science (Pty) Ltd.