- Narrow distribution. Common in Pacific island countries on wide range of crops, including ginger, chillies, eggplant, kava, passionfruit, root crops.
- Larvae burrow into roots, stems and storage organs.
- Adult weevil and West Indian sweet potato weevil (WISPW) similar. Ginger weevil covered in fine scales, with no clear white pattern on wing cases; WISPW with thinner scales and clear white markings on the wing cases (see Fact Sheet no. 119).
- Cultural control: check planting material for carry-over larvae; treating ginger and yams for nematodes (hot water at 51°C for 10 mins) will kill weevils; check at harvest and avoid storing infested roots, corms, tubers.
- Chemical control: thiram/latex mixture painted on passionfruit cankers (Samoa). Possibly, dipping planting materials in imidacloprid.
Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds - Online edition
Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides
Ginger weevil (357)
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Summary
Common Name
Ginger weevil, Fiji lemon weevil.
Scientific Name
Elytroteinus geophilus; previously, Elytroteinus subtruncatus.
AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information from Elytroteinus subtruncatus (Fairmaire). Fiji Ginger weevil. Knowledge Master. University of Hawai'i, Manoa. (http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/type/elytrote.htm); and from Gerlach WWP (1988) Plant diseases of Western Samoa. Samoan German Crop Protection Project, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) Gmbh, Germany. Photos 1&5 Mani Mua, SPC, Sigatoka Research Station, Fiji. Photos 2&4 Chris Reid & John Martin, Australian Museum, Sydney. Photos 3,6&7 MAF Plant Health and Environment Laboratory (2010) Fijian Ginger Weevil (Elytroteinus geophilus): PaDIL - (http://www.padil.gov.au).
Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project HORT/2016/185: Responding to emerging pest and disease threats to horticulture in the Pacific islands, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
