This battle was lost before it had begun. After the damage caused by the agave (or sisal) weevil, especially at the Monegasque Wildlife Garden, it is its distant cousin’s turn to wreak havoc. The red palm weevil has begun to wage merciless war on the palm trees of the C\u00f4te d’Azur. Introduced in 2006 by shipments of palm trees from Egypt, this beetle produces larvae that destroy the tree from within.<\/p>\n
A report by the National Agency for Food Safety, Environment,\u00a0and Labor (ANSES), commissioned by the French Ministry of Agriculture, concludes that it will be impossible to eradicate the red palm weevil in seven departments along the Mediterranean coast where it is already rife.<\/p>\n
Experts recommend focusing on the protection of specimen with “heritage value.” They also propose to replant specific species of plants that are resistant to the parasite. In Nice, for example, the town hall has begun to replace the emblematic Phoenix canariensis, the most widespread but also the most affected species of palm tree. The health agency also suggests a range\u00a0of measures like controlling the importation of palm seedlings and their transport from infested departments as well as quarantine measures for infested homes.<\/p>\n