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Palm trees at Saint-Cyr

Oh dear.  Those wonderful palm trees that for most of us are the essence of Riviera chic are under threat.  It comes from what The Times has called a ‘ruthless invader’.  It’s the 42mm long red palm weevil which arrived in France in 2006 on some palms which came in from Egypt.

ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, has reported that more than 100,000 palms are affected by the weevils whose numbers are growing.

Their larvae bore into the trees which are destroyed within 6 months.  Anses have said that the range of measures tried (insectides, chemicals) haven’t worked and so they are looking to preserve and protect a few trees, and replant other species along the coast.  Critics point to successful measures taken in the Canary Islands where instant ‘massive’ use of  insecticides worked, but Anses admit that the weevil population in France is out of control.  It certainly was in Malta where 4,500 trees have been lost.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/19/invasive-beetle-set-wipe-palm-trees-french-riviera/