Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

I have a big time problem with the banana corn weevil infestation. I noticed my Namwa banana plants were not growing much with very little root growth . You could easily uproot the stems with very little effort. I dug up the corms and found a rotten black mess of corm with many holes with few roots and many decayed roots.

This is the cultural steps I follow after harvesting the bunch: the fruiting banana stem is cut very close to ground level and the stump is covered with dirt and the stem is cut into very small slices and then left to dry out. I believe the cut banana stump is my problem for infestation problems. Is any insecticide I can apply to the base of the cut banana stump to prevent infestation problems? I have removed the infested banana corms and cut them into very small pieces and put them in the trash. I did not find any larvae in the corms though.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

I see this as a major limitation to growing bananas in Miami Dade Florida. This insect pest is very destructive. It will ruin your banana mats fast. So far my Goldfinger and SH3640 mats show no signs of infestation.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Knock wood I haven't had this issue but I do have a lot of nasty bugs in FL. I've begun treating everything with Neem oil mixed with dishwashing soap. (I've always used DW soap but also man-made insecticides.) There's no instant gratification with Neem but it does seems to break the breeding cycle. Banana weevil | Infonet Biovision Home.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Imidacloprid. For a commercial farmer it is called Admire. I think it is like Bayer Advanced or something like that for the homeowner. It will kill grubs in the corm.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

We use a natural product CALLED "COSMOLURE" AVAILABLE FROM

Dan Papacek
Entomologist/Director
Bugs for Bugs
1 Bowen St Mundubbera Q 4626
AUSTRALIA

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Is imidacloprid systemic? So far, I haven't seen any weevils, but we are further north.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Imidacloprid is systemic. It is used in dog flea drops and bayer rose and flower defense and tree and shrub care. Used commercially as a systemic on farms and blamed for colony collapse in bees since the crop blooms carry the poison and kill anything that feeds on the flowers.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Some of Bayer's formulations are organic and several include Neem oil. Neem does work against weevils. Again, it is not immediate. Personally I'm thrilled to find "bug spray" you can safely (in moderation) use on your face. I refuse to call myself an organic gardener but I do try to work with nature as much as possible because I'm cheap so I'd rather not have to keep purchasing chemicals over and over when I can spend my money on plants and seeds instead.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Mycorhizae and chytin are supposed to help build a plants natural defense

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Searched your terms and couldn't find anything other than definitions. Product recommendation? I try to build up my plants' defenses the same way I do mine; healthy soil/diet and adequate water. But I do take Echinacea when I feel a cold coming on so if there's a way to boost their defenses, I'm all ears.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Chytin can come fro. Caves and barns where bats poop. Worm poop has it. Since they don't make shells they poop it. I get my Mycorhizae from xtreme gardening called mykos. I get the cheaper dust they offer. Grows well in wood based soil and leaf litter. They sell nitrogen fixing bacteria that produce growth hormone called Azospirillium brasiliensis in a powder called azos. I dust all corms, bulbs, roots, and cuttings with it. I find using more minerals and biologics and less nitrogen gives me less pests.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Yes, Imidicloprid is systemic. It will kill the weevils, control scales, aphids, and whiteflies. I don't like using it, but I also don't like seeing hundreds of dollars of fruit laying on the ground. In Florida we have both Cosmopolites sordidus and Metamasius hemipterus.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

My suggestions are based only on my other crops like taro and I am new at trying to produces bananas.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

I'm an ancient gardener but fairly new to FL and bananas so I appreciate learning how to raise plants here. My first fire ant bite was annoying; the others were really annoying plus it took a long time for those pus filled bumps to go away. And then I got bitten by something at dusk or early morning when tending plants. Sand fleas? Who knows? Ouch!

This Yankee grower has decided the lack of snow and ice and slush is the trade off for bugs that are never controlled by snow and ice and slush. Still adapting to a new "dirt" experience, I'm open to suggestions from those with more knowledge/experience in this climate. But for now I'll keep building beds with compost/fines/manure (when I can find some) and spraying with Neem plus soap and see how this grand experiment goes. (I already have some honking big worms here!)

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

We continue to avoid Imidicloprid, but again, I haven't seen anything that looks like weevil damage with our bananas other than one potted banana received that was quickly destroyed. I know growers up here that use Imidicloprid to kill the Sri Lankan weevils. We go out daily and shake the lychees and break the heads off the sri lankans or drop them in alcohol. That won't work should we have issues with banana weevils though.

Has anyone down there tried beneficial nematodes? A grower near us no longer has issues with Sri Lankans or Diaprepes after using beneficial nematodes (it is expensive though). Some growers are now having issues with Imidicloprid resistant sri lankans.

We lost 4 of our honeybee hives last year. I don't see us trying Imidicloprid (or any pesticide) any time soon.

Re: Banana corm weevils destroying my banana plants
 

I didn't have issues for my first five years, and then I got hit hard on Hua Moa and the plantains.