New Horizons in Insect Science Towards Sustainable Pest Management

Status and Management of Three Major Insect Pests of Coconut in the Tropics and Subtropics 367

Fig. 4 Monthly RPW mass trapping using pheromone and the pheromone release rate (Source: Faleiro 2006)

pest introduction. The most successful way of
controlling and managing the RPW is the use of
the IPM program. It includes monitoring and tak-
ing care of the palm in susceptible age regularly;
trapping adult RPWs using pheromone trap bait-
ed with synthetic pheromone and with synergists
such as yeast-fermented sugar solution, ripened
pineapple pieces, sugarcane stem pieces, or coco-
nut petiole pieces; treating cuts and infections in
palms; detecting the RPW at early stage; treating
the plant in early stages with systemic insecticide
if infected with RPW; eradicating and properly
disposing infested palm or its parts; proper cut-
ting of fronds incorporated with proper agricul-
tural practices and training and educating farmers
and Agriculture Department officers.

Rhinoceros Beetle

Biosystematics

Oryctes rhinoceros L, Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera),

Dynastidinae. O. monoceros, O. agamemnon,

O. elegans are other related species of the RB.

Synonyms of RB are Oryctes stentor Castel-

nau, (1840) and Scarabaeus rhinoceros Lin-

naeus. Several common names are used for the

RB around the world: Asiatic RB, bebete coco

(French-Reunion (La Réunion)), black beetle,

coconut black beetle, coconut palm RB, coco-

nut RB (English), date palm beetle, dung beetle,

escarabajo rinoceronte Asiático (Spanish), fruit

Table 2 Host range of three major pests of coconut
Pest Important host plants and region
Asia Middle East Europe Africa America
RPW Coconut, date palm, oil
palm, ornamental palms

Date palm,

coconut

Date palm and

ornamental

palms

Coconut and

date palm

Coconut, ornamental palms,

and date palm

RB Coconut, oil palm and date

palm

Date palm,

Coconut

• Coconut and
  ornamental
  palm

Coconut

BHC Coconut, other palms – – – –