Beetle threatens survival of RP’s coconut industry

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – A small yet destructive pest is threatening the survival of the country’s coconut industry.

The pest, the coconut hispine (leaf) beetle, has been attacking palm plantations in other Asia-Pacific countries. It is believed to have reached the Philippines only in 2004 from imports of ornamental palms.

Scientifically named Brontispa longissima (Gastro), the beetle causes great damage to seedlings and mature coconut trees and ornamental palms, killing the young spears and eventually the entire trees.

B. longissima is a flat and slender beetle, with the adult measuring 7.5 to 10 millimeters long and 1.5 to 2 mm wide. It is generally black, except for the yellow-orange to red color on its neck and its wings’ basal portion.

The adult’s long life span (about 90 days) makes it the most destructive. Although it is incapable of long flights, it is responsible for short-distance infestation.

The pest is said to have been observed first on coconut trees along the coastal road in Metro Manila in 2004. It eventually found its way to other Luzon prov-inces such as Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and Camarines Sur, particularly Naga City.