Symptoms
Reddish-brown tunneling damage inside corm and pseudostem base. Plants wilt, yellow, and may collapse. Bunches may fail to develop properly. Larvae bore extensive galleries in corm tissue.
Prevention
Plant only certified weevil-free planting material. Peel pseudostem to remove beetle hiding sites. Apply nematodes to soil around base. Maintain field sanitation.
Treatment
Organic
Apply entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae) to soil. Use Beauveria bassiana mycoinsecticide. Set pseudo-stem trap baits to attract and trap adults.
Chemical (last resort)
Apply chlorpyrifos granules to soil around corm base. Drench soil at planting time. Systemic insecticides have limited efficacy due to larval location inside corm.
Affects 1 crop
Sources
MARDI Banana Pest Guide; DOA Extension Bulletin