This WP will be carried out by the ARI and PHQCS, in collaboration with BPI and DAAM. This research will be conducted under laboratory and field conditions

• Palm trees of Ph. canariensis species 5-6 years of age will be placed in nethouses at the HO premises and will be artificially inoculated by RPW and P. archon (if found)
• The artificially attacked palms will be acoustically monitored from day 0 of infestation to 1 month after in order to determine detection results with respect to the distance of probe placement form the point of infestation and with respect to the time of infestation
• Rearing of RPW will be achieved in the laboratory under controlled conditions in entomological cages. Five pairs (5 males and 5 females) of RPW will be released in nethouses and 3 cages for mating. Various food sources will be given to adults (e.g. apples, dates, etc) in order to study the: a) egg-laying (number of eggs, hatching, survival); b) number of adults survived; c) sex ratio; d) phenotype characteristics (number, kind and size of stains on the thorax of males and females)
• The population density of RPW will be studied all year round using pheromone traps.
• Study the bio-ecology and behavior of palm borer Paysandisia archon under laboratory conditions. Damaged palms by P. archon and the pest itself will be transferred to the premises of the HO and let for its full development. For this work, the prerequisite is the presence of the insect. Since no commercial pheromone exists for the attraction of the insect this work will be totally depended on the presence of the insect in the detection and monitoring areas.

Deliverables

• D12. Report - Bio-ecological and ethological characteristics of RPW and P. archon