Are these Corm Borers??

Backyard Banana Joe · 08-05-2021, 08:20 AM

I was walking through the patch when I noticed a small Manzano that was stunted and looked pretty terrible, that wasn’t getting enough sun. I pushed on it, and to my surprise, it leaned over. Then I noticed the corm had snapped off a little below the soil. I lifted it up, and the corm was rotten, and there was a grub peeking out at me from a tunnel in the corm! Oh horror of horrors!

I immediately dug out the whole corm and put it all in a bucket. I didn’t see any borer damage in the pstem, and I haven’t noticed any adult weevils anywhere. I really, really hope this isn’t the dreaded Corm Borer.

Akula · 08-05-2021, 09:40 AM

Nasty! Do a full pathology exam/inspection on it and toss in the garbage. Gross!

Backyard Banana Joe · 08-05-2021, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akula

Nasty! Do a full pathology exam/inspection on it and toss in the garbage. Gross!

I inspected it and found they are into the lower p stem as well. Edit: Definitely Corm Borers. I found a handful of adult weevils hiding in the destroyed corm.

What I don't know is if they will spread to every banana plant I have and destroy them. Of course I will destroy this plant as well as all the grubs, but I doubt I have gotten them all. If they are in one, are they in a lot of them? I also don't know how I ended up with them. Is this the end of banana growing in my yard?

Backyard Banana Joe · 08-05-2021, 05:01 PM

Is there a way to organically treat these besides setting weevil traps and manually crushing them?

zfallon84 · 08-05-2021, 10:20 PM

Try mixing diatomaceous earth, or granite dust into the soil when you do your planting. It tears up the flesh of grubs/larvae.

raygrogan · 08-06-2021, 08:24 AM

I have zero expertise in this area ... but can say they (banana root borer weevils - Cosmopolites sordidus) are ubiquitous in my patches and probably all over the island (Oahu). My bananas grow just fine in spite of them.

kellbrad · 02-06-2022, 12:10 AM

So, I just saw one of these worm things in my potted dwarf cavendish soil that I brought inside when it started to get cold (OCT) PLEASE don't tell me this means my banana is infested and going to die. It is still producing healthy leaves even though it is inside and is taller than I am (5'8") I started it in April 2021 when it was 2 ft tall. I refuse to accept that it is not going to make it. BUT, this is my first banana so, IDK what I'm doing. I have been reading this forum a lot and I appreciate all the info. Right now, it is too cold for me to take it outside and remove it from its pot to look for gross bugs. I am in denial as well.

cincinnana · 02-06-2022, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellbrad

So, I just saw one of these worm things in my potted dwarf cavendish soil that I brought inside when it started to get cold (OCT) PLEASE don't tell me this means my banana is infested and going to die. It is still producing healthy leaves even though it is inside and is taller than I am (5'8") I started it in April 2021 when it was 2 ft tall. I refuse to accept that it is not going to make it. BUT, this is my first banana so, IDK what I'm doing. I have been reading this forum a lot and I appreciate all the info. Right now, it is too cold for me to take it outside and remove it from its pot to look for gross bugs. I am in denial as well.

Does it look like the grub back in post #1 and the beginning of the thread?

PR-Giants · 02-10-2022, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backyard Banana Joe

I was walking through the patch when I noticed a small Manzano that was stunted and looked pretty terrible, that wasn’t getting enough sun. I pushed on it, and to my surprise, it leaned over. Then I noticed the corm had snapped off a little below the soil. I lifted it up, and the corm was rotten, and there was a grub peeking out at me from a tunnel in the corm! Oh horror of horrors!

I immediately dug out the whole corm and put it all in a bucket. I didn’t see any borer damage in the pstem, and I haven’t noticed any adult weevils anywhere. I really, really hope this isn’t the dreaded Corm Borer.

That's very interesting that the weevil was eating a Manzano. The Manzano is very resistant to attracting weevils, meaning weevils prefer eating other varieties before the Manzano. I've seen Manzano that have been growing in the wild for over a hundred years and the bananas growing around them had weevils but the Manzano were weevil free.

What other varieties do you grow?

Plantains are probably the most desirable meal for weevils.

kellbrad · 02-11-2022, 12:19 AM

yeah....it did, and i found a second dead one (it didn't squirm or anything) and for 2 days i have been looking for evidence of destruction and I think I might have killed my tree looking for these damn bugs. I HATE BUGS. and this tree was doing so well, but the dirt and the roots are like, "wet" according to the meter, yet I cannot loosen it up to examine the corm i am so mad. the corm i have cut thru like 1/4 in deep and 2 in wide, nothing. pstem nothing and it is sooo skinny now bc of my obsessive inspecting for bugs

Backyard Banana Joe · 03-04-2022, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants

That's very interesting that the weevil was eating a Manzano. The Manzano is very resistant to attracting weevils, meaning weevils prefer eating other varieties before the Manzano. I've seen Manzano that have been growing in the wild for over a hundred years and the bananas growing around them had weevils but the Manzano were weevil free.

What other varieties do you grow?

Plantains are probably the most desirable meal for weevils.

That's interesting!

I grow a handful of varieties, all dessert bananas, no plantains. If you want you can see what I am growing, they are in my profile. I haven't found weevils on any other banana plant yet, I haven't dug up all of them to check, but I have dug up some old corms and dug some pups and haven't found any weevils or weevil damage.

Backyard Banana Joe · 03-04-2022, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellbrad

yeah....it did, and i found a second dead one (it didn't squirm or anything) and for 2 days i have been looking for evidence of destruction and I think I might have killed my tree looking for these damn bugs. I HATE BUGS. and this tree was doing so well, but the dirt and the roots are like, "wet" according to the meter, yet I cannot loosen it up to examine the corm i am so mad. the corm i have cut thru like 1/4 in deep and 2 in wide, nothing. pstem nothing and it is sooo skinny now bc of my obsessive inspecting for bugs

I think you need to stop obsessing and let the plant do its thing. It's very doubtful you would have borers in NC, and the tree was healthy and doing great until you started digging around and cutting into the corm. It would help if you could post a picture of the grub because we have grubs in our backyard that look similar to borders but are harmless. They have "legs" and are kind of shaped like a 'C'. Borer grubs don't have legs and aren't curved. But both are white and could look similar to someone afraid they are borers. Also the fact it was in the soil, not the corm, could mean it isn't a borer. It most likely wouldn't be in the soil, it would be in the corm where you couldn't see it.

PR-Giants · 03-06-2022, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backyard Banana Joe

That's interesting!

I grow a handful of varieties, all dessert bananas, no plantains. If you want you can see what I am growing, they are in my profile. I haven't found weevils on any other banana plant yet, I haven't dug up all of them to check, but I have dug up some old corms and dug some pups and haven't found any weevils or weevil damage.

Is your Manzano part of the Silk subgroup?

It's common here for members to use the same name for cultivars that are in different subgroups.

Backyard Banana Joe · 03-06-2022, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR-Giants

Is your Manzano part of the Silk subgroup?

It's common here for members to use the same name for cultivars that are in different subgroups.

It's "the Manzano". It's been affirmed by Gabe.

Backyard Banana Joe · 03-28-2022, 03:59 PM

Hello everyone!

Banana pups are coming up everywhere. Since I found banana borers, I haven't sold any pups. I have only found borers on that one plant. I've dug up old corms and pups near and farther away from where this plant was, and have found no sign of them in the corms.

My question is this: am I safe to start selling pups again (of course inspect corms and do bleach or hot water)?

Backyard Banana Joe · 04-03-2022, 07:46 PM

Anyone?

08-05-2021, 08:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
Backyard Banana Joe Location: Orlando FL Find me on the map! Zone: 9B Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 1,427 BananaBucks : 80,851 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,967 Times Was Thanked 1,982 Times in 936 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 184 Times	Are these Corm Borers?? I was walking through the patch when I noticed a small Manzano that was stunted and looked pretty terrible, that wasn’t getting enough sun. I pushed on it, and to my surprise, it leaned over. Then I noticed the corm had snapped off a little below the soil. I lifted it up, and the corm was rotten, and there was a grub peeking out at me from a tunnel in the corm! Oh horror of horrors! I immediately dug out the whole corm and put it all in a bucket. I didn’t see any borer damage in the pstem, and I haven’t noticed any adult weevils anywhere. I really, really hope this isn’t the dreaded Corm Borer.

08-05-2021, 09:40 AM	#2 (permalink)
Akula Location: Pensacola, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: Zone 9a Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 1,236 BananaBucks : 55,678 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,540 Times Was Thanked 2,372 Times in 809 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 129 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? Nasty! Do a full pathology exam/inspection on it and toss in the garbage. Gross!

08-05-2021, 05:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
Backyard Banana Joe Location: Orlando FL Find me on the map! Zone: 9B Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 1,427 BananaBucks : 80,851 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,967 Times Was Thanked 1,982 Times in 936 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 184 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? Is there a way to organically treat these besides setting weevil traps and manually crushing them?

08-05-2021, 10:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
zfallon84 Location: Jacksonville, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 9a Name: Zach Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 163 BananaBucks : 23,291 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 440 Times Was Thanked 191 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 45 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? Try mixing diatomaceous earth, or granite dust into the soil when you do your planting. It tears up the flesh of grubs/larvae.

08-06-2021, 08:24 AM	#6 (permalink)
raygrogan raygrogan's Photo Gallery Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 250 BananaBucks : 10,092 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 125 Times Was Thanked 313 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 17 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? I have zero expertise in this area ... but can say they (banana root borer weevils - Cosmopolites sordidus) are ubiquitous in my patches and probably all over the island (Oahu). My bananas grow just fine in spite of them.

Members currently in the chatroom: 0
	The most chatters online in one day was 17, 09-06-2009. No one is currently using the chat.

02-06-2022, 12:10 AM	#7 (permalink)
kellbrad Location: South Carolina Find me on the map! Zone: 8A Name: KELLY Join Date: Oct 2021 Posts: 32 BananaBucks : 3,413 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 53 Times Was Thanked 10 Times in 6 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? So, I just saw one of these worm things in my potted dwarf cavendish soil that I brought inside when it started to get cold (OCT) PLEASE don't tell me this means my banana is infested and going to die. It is still producing healthy leaves even though it is inside and is taller than I am (5'8") I started it in April 2021 when it was 2 ft tall. I refuse to accept that it is not going to make it. BUT, this is my first banana so, IDK what I'm doing. I have been reading this forum a lot and I appreciate all the info. Right now, it is too cold for me to take it outside and remove it from its pot to look for gross bugs. I am in denial as well.

02-11-2022, 12:19 AM	#10 (permalink)
kellbrad Location: South Carolina Find me on the map! Zone: 8A Name: KELLY Join Date: Oct 2021 Posts: 32 BananaBucks : 3,413 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 53 Times Was Thanked 10 Times in 6 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? yeah....it did, and i found a second dead one (it didn't squirm or anything) and for 2 days i have been looking for evidence of destruction and I think I might have killed my tree looking for these damn bugs. I HATE BUGS. and this tree was doing so well, but the dirt and the roots are like, "wet" according to the meter, yet I cannot loosen it up to examine the corm i am so mad. the corm i have cut thru like 1/4 in deep and 2 in wide, nothing. pstem nothing and it is sooo skinny now bc of my obsessive inspecting for bugs

03-28-2022, 03:59 PM	#15 (permalink)
Backyard Banana Joe Location: Orlando FL Find me on the map! Zone: 9B Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 1,427 BananaBucks : 80,851 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,967 Times Was Thanked 1,982 Times in 936 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 184 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? Hello everyone! Banana pups are coming up everywhere. Since I found banana borers, I haven't sold any pups. I have only found borers on that one plant. I've dug up old corms and pups near and farther away from where this plant was, and have found no sign of them in the corms. My question is this: am I safe to start selling pups again (of course inspect corms and do bleach or hot water)?

04-03-2022, 07:46 PM	#16 (permalink)
Backyard Banana Joe Location: Orlando FL Find me on the map! Zone: 9B Join Date: Jul 2019 Posts: 1,427 BananaBucks : 80,851 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,967 Times Was Thanked 1,982 Times in 936 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 184 Times	Re: Are these Corm Borers?? Anyone?

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Do you Have Corm?	Abnshrek	Main Banana Discussion	1	04-23-2014 08:54 PM
1000 Fingers Pup/Corm and Saba Pup/Corm	digdeep	Banana Plants Wanted	0	07-15-2011 07:24 PM
corm rot	fishoifc	Main Banana Discussion	9	05-27-2010 09:13 AM
The Monster Corm! 20+ yr old corm	Overgrown	Main Banana Discussion	29	04-17-2010 03:24 AM
Squash Borers are getting all my squash. HELP!	LilGardenQueen	Other Plants	3	06-19-2009 07:42 PM