Cultural management

  • Remove and burn all dead coconut trees in the garden (which are likely to serve as breeding ground) to maintain good sanitation.
  • Collect and destroy the various stages of the beetle from the manure pits (breeding ground of the pest) whenever manure is lifted from the pits.
  • During peak period of population build up, the adult beetle may be extracted from the palm crown using GI hooks.
  • Set up light traps following the first rains in summer and monsoon period to attract and kill the adult beetles.
  • Application of green muscardine fungus, Metarrhizium anisopliae @ 5x10     11spores/m3- spray 250 ml Metarrizhium culture + 750 ml water in manure pits to check the perpetuation of the pest.
  • Field release of Baculovirus oryctes inoculated adult rhinoceros beetle @ 15 beetles/ ha reduces the leaf and crown damage caused by this beetle.
  • The histerid beetle, Santalus parallelus is predaceous on the eggs and all stages of the grub while its grub is predaceous on the egg and first instar grub and Agrypnus sp. predates on the grubs.
  • The bacteria Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas sp. attack the third instar grubs.
  • Entomopathogenic nematode DD 136 or Neoaplectana carpocapsae and the associated bacterium Achromobacter nematophilus parasitize the grub.
  • Soak castor cake @ 1 kg in 5 litre of water in small mud pots and keep them in the coconut gardens to attract and kill the adults.
  • Apply mixture of either neem seed powder + sand (1:2) @ 150 g per palm or neem seed kernel powder + sand (1:2) @ 150 g per palm at the base of the 3 inner most leaves in the crown.
  • Trap method: Set up Rhino lure pheromone trap @ 5 traps/ha to trap and kill the beetles. The dispenser may be hanged in a plastic bucket having 2 litre of insecticide solution once in a week. Trapped beetles can be disposed off.