Biology and management of palm dynastid beetles: recent advances

Coconut, oil, and date palms are important crops in the tropics and are attacked by dynastids that cause loss of production or death of hosts. Knowledge of their breeding sites has been extended since a previous review in 1980. The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae has potential as a biopesticide against immature stages in friable breeding sites. The molecular biology and ultrastructure of Oryctes rhinoceros Nudivirus (OrNV), disseminated by adults, have been studied, and this pathogen can reduce O. rhinoceros populations and damage when introduced into new locations, especially where damage had been high. New PCR techniques may enable reliable quantification of dosages ingested and hence virulence of different isolates. Male-produced aggregation pheromones have been identified in several species, for which they may have management potential, having been used commercially for trapping O. rhinoceros in oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia, and tested against O. monoceros in Africa.