Across the world, people use banana and plantains for cooking, roasting and growing. Peelings of the fruits and chopped pieces are used as feed for livestock.
But bananas have a small enemy called the banana weevils. A small black insect with a long curved snout. Plants attacked by banana weevils grow slowly and produce small fruits.
Development of weevils
Female weevils lay their eggs at the base of the banana stem just above the ground level or in the cut stem left after harvest.
The weevils eggs hatch in to larvae that fits in to the tunnel of the stem. The tunnels block the flow of water and nutrients in the stem thereby preventing normal growth of the banana. As the weevils larvae grow they make larger tunnels in the stem and finally find their way to the soil, the tunnels weaken the stem making it break at the base or in the middle.
Recognising weevils
Attacked banana plants bare small branches, the leaves shift splits and their are tunnels in the stem and combs and the stems often snaps.
Banana weevils moves short distance and rarely fly. They spread to new fields mainly through infested planting materials. Clean suckers and planting materials should be used to avoid spread.
Controlling banana weevils
After planting suckers, contain good soil fertility and high moisture to control in your banana field to get strong plant that can resist pest and disease.
Add manure 2ft away from the banana stall so that the banana roots do not grow to the surface. Mulch the field to help maintain soil moisture and discourage weevils from infesting the banana stem .
Freshly cut stem are attractive to weevils hence after every harvest, stem should be split into small long stripes and spread them to dry. The harvested stem can be used as weevils traps, when trapped the weevils are collected and burned.
