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  • Mon. Nov 11th, 2024

Eucalyptus Snout Beetle

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Scientists have found a natural remedy to protect eucalyptus forest plantations from a pest, eucalyptus snout beetle, which is known to cause serious damage to eucalypts.

About Eucalyptus Snout Beetle:

  • It is a leaf-feeding beetle that is a major defoliator of eucalypts.
  • It is also known as eucalyptus weevil.
  • The pest is indigenous to Australia but occurs in many countries throughout the world where eucalypts are grown. 
  • The beetle feeds on leaves, buds and shoots, resulting in stunted growth and deflation and causing heavy losses.
  • It can cause damage over vast areas as it has a great flight capability and gets transferred with transport of forest products.
  • The pest is mainly controlled with the help of micro-waspsAnaphes spp — an expensive solution.
  • This led a team of scientists to look for naturally occurring pathogenic fungi to tackle the problem.

New research

  • The scientists collected the fungi from naturally infected beetles, the pathogen can better adapt to the environmental conditions, making it efficient to control beetles in forest populations.
  • The findings of the study showed that Beauveria bassiana was highly effective both by contact and ingestion, with a mortality rate of 100 per cent.
  • The fungi could be used to develop a bio-pesticide for sustainable forestry using integrated pest management.
  • The fungi could also be used in other countries where the insect is causing severe damage.

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