The Councillor for Parks and Gardens, Mario Jiménez, has ordered the start of a campaign to prevent the municipality's palms falling victim to the Red Palm Weevil, that has been slowly making its way along the coast over recent years.

Villa Matilde, Sabinillas - The palm in the middle displays classic symptoms
of Red Palm Weevil

The programme of spraying with pesticide began in Villa Matilde where one of the mature palm trees has already succumbed to this fatal pest.

The so-called 'palm plague' first appeared in Southern Spain, in Almuñecar, some 11 years ago and has been slowly progressing through the region. The main victim of the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is the Canary Date Palm, Phoenix canariensis, which is a common amenity tree throughout the area. Once the tree is infesteddeath is vitually inevitable unless quickly treated. Unfortunately the damage is caused by the larvae which burrow into and feed on the soft leaf tissue and the terminal bud, the tree's growing point, and the tree is often beyond help before the infestation is discovered.

Councillor Jiménez has asked for the cooperation of all property owners in the area with date palms (those are the palms with the long leaves, not the fan palms with the fan-shaped leaves) to have their trees sprayed so as to prevent the spread of this 'plague'. I'm sure many of you will remember the Dutch Elm outbreak in the UK during the '70s, and would hate to see a similar thing happening to the region's palm trees.

For more information visit the delegación municipal de Parques y Jardines, Calle Mar, Manilva, the Tenencia de Alcaldia in Sabinillas or call 952 890 029.

Fortunately the pest doesn't appear to affect the fan palms.