RED PALM WEEVIL STILL MAJOR THREAT TO PALMS

1,600 palms trees in Elche have been destroyed this year due to the threat of the deadly Red Palm Weevil.

The bug receives much press attention with local Town Halls across the region warning people to look out for the Weevil and putting practices in place for the safe destruction of affected palms but the regional government has now admitted that the expansion of the problem could be ‘explosive' and is a major threat to the famed Palmeras in the historic city.

General Director of Agro Alimentary Research and Technology in the Valencia Generalitat, Manuel Laínez, has been meeting in Elche to discuss the problem. He said that while 1,600 trees seems a very high number, in reality it is a very small amount compared to the amount in the city.

He added that the Palmeral can be defended and the plague controlled and although progress was good, he admitted the situation could be much more satisfactory.

The regional government is currently spending three million euros to combat the plague.