Samui Without Palmtrees?

[LaoPo]

I am very surprised I didn't read anything here yet (unless I missed a topic) about the dying of thousands of palmtrees on Samui, due to a 'bug' or virus (I'm not sure).

During my last visit I saw literally hundreds of palmtrees, slowly dying.

This was confirmed by other local people.

At first sight one doesn't notice this because there are so many millions of palmtrees, but if you start looking you will see them....sad story!

An English gentleman, living on the North Tip told me it was a bug, eating itself from the top into the palmtree, causing grey, dying palmleaves and finally the palmtree dies.

The bugs are spreading from palmtree-to-palmtree...

He even told me that the dying palmtrees are a nightmare for the island and the (local) goverment is doing nothing about it, due to the lack of funds....

The only cure, so he told me, is a certain powder to be put into the top of the palmtree which kills the bug, but of course this is an almost impossible job to do; another cure were the local squirrels who eat the bugs, but, so he told me, the Isaan workers are killing them and eat them as a kind of delicatesse...?

Anyone knows more about the dying palmtrees and what is really happening?

LaoPo

Edited November 26, 2005 by LaoPo

[Sir Burr]

I have noticed an upsurge of dying coconut palms in Phuket too, over the last three years, or, so.

A beetle is responsible. The Rhinoceros beetle, Hispine beetle and Coconut beetle all feed on the palm heart, the growth centre of the palm. The only effective way to treat the palm is to use insecticide, but, as you rightly point out, getting the insecticide where it's needed is problematic.

Edited November 26, 2005 by Sir Burr

[LaoPo]

Thank you for your help!

There is a lot more info on this subject if you click here:

http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=hispin...le+zoeken&meta=

It is much more wide-spread then I knew and very dangerous to the tourist industry on Samui and Kho Phangan as also stated in various reports.

The first reports on the dangerous Hispine Beetle are from February 2004 when the government reported a mojor breakout in the southern provinces, including Surat Thani (Samui&Phangan).

Fortunately there seems to be a biological treatment by means of 'wasps'.

Further info, see above link.

QUESTION: does anyone know if the government of Surat Thani is doing something about it?

read: buying the wasps to save the palmtree farmers and the palmtrees and, as a maybe more important issue:

SAVE the islands? (tourist industry!)

Samui/Phangan/Koh Tao would be 'deserted islands' WITHOUT the palmtrees...

LaoPo

[limbos]

AFAIK wasps have been imported from Vietnam to fight/eat the bug.

Probably the article will mention this.

[sbk]

I've heard of several people who have gotten the wasps from the or bor dor office --but the biggest drawback is the bugs don't stick around. I don't know if my father-in-law (who owns extensive coconut gardens around the island) has gotten them or not but as he is quite actively involved I suspect yes. I've heard the squirrels do eat the bigs but they also eat alot of coconuts so in addition to Isaan workers eating them the locals shoot them because they can eat their way through an entire orchard in a matter of weeks--they bore a round hole in the coconut--eat a bit--drink some of the water and then move on, leaving the coconut to rot, hence the reasoning behind killing them. I don't know how far the education of the locals regarding the importance of these little critters to the ecosystem has gotten tho.

[Rooo]

What I also heard, is they imported some exotic palms & they were infected & it spread here.

[LaoPo]

A 4 year BUMP

What's the latest news on the dying (or not) palm trees on Samui ?

LaoPo

[limbos]

Besides Samui channel making a good and interesting mini docu about it not much I'm afraid.

[joe84330]

just a few days ago workers cut the leaves off of probably 100+ trees on the beach next to my house. not sure if it was directly related to this same issue as quite a few of the trees have new shoots coming straight up out of the top but it was quite a haircut anyway.

[PoorSucker]

just a few days ago workers cut the leaves off of probably 100+ trees on the beach next to my house. not sure if it was directly related to this same issue as quite a few of the trees have new shoots coming straight up out of the top but it was quite a haircut anyway.

They are going to claim the trees where dead when they start to build the resort.

[Gatorade]

Thank you for your help!

There is a lot more info on this subject if you click here:

http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=hi...oeken&meta=

It is much more wide-spread then I knew and very dangerous to the tourist industry on Samui and Kho Phangan as also stated in various reports.

The first reports on the dangerous Hispine Beetle are from February 2004 when the government reported a mojor breakout in the southern provinces, including Surat Thani (Samui&Phangan).

Fortunately there seems to be a biological treatment by means of 'wasps'.

Further info, see above link.

QUESTION: does anyone know if the government of Surat Thani is doing something about it?

read: buying the wasps to save the palmtree farmers and the palmtrees and, as a maybe more important issue:

SAVE the islands? (tourist industry!)

Samui/Phangan/Koh Tao would be 'deserted islands' WITHOUT the palmtrees...

LaoPo

There was a lot of publicity regarding the introduction of these wasps here in Samui a couple of years ago but evidently the first batch didn't survive the wet conditions. They were then re-introduced and until now seemed to be successful.

But looking at what is now happening is very worrying and is affecting large plantations.

I recently had the coconuts removed off two of my Palm trees and at the same time the cutters added some crystals which are supposed to protect the tree.

Perhaps the coconut monkeys could be trained up to add these crystals!!

[sbk]

I don't know about Samui but from what I've seen of my FIL's coconut plantations on Koh P, the spread of the coconut beetle has been drastically reduced over the past few years.

Often the branches are cut off coconut trees to keep them from dropping on people who sit under the palm thinking its very tropical to sit under a swaying palm tree but don't consider that the coconuts and the leaves are quite heavy.

[cobra]

Distrubing news indeed, hope it doesn"t spread to Chang and Samet.

[BBQueen]

As Sir Burr noted, it's a beetle infestation. Started several years ago. One reason noted was the loss of squirrels, which the Isaan workers snare and eat.

[bullion]

The last year many palms on Bophuthills and on this moment many died and many (healthy?) cut. Is Bophuthills in a couple of years only a 'ghosthill' with only a new Gecko Bar, no trees, no people???

/0cut also

[LaoPo]

I don't know about Samui but from what I've seen of my FIL's coconut plantations on Koh P, the spread of the coconut beetle has been drastically reduced over the past few years.

How about the situation with the dying palm trees (because of these bugs) on Samui Ladies and Gents ?

Is it reducing; is it noticeable ?

hmm....those photos, above, aren't very promising, are they ?

LaoPo

Edited January 15, 2010 by LaoPo

[crusty]

Thank you for your help!

There is a lot more info on this subject if you click here:

http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=hi...oeken&meta=

It is much more wide-spread then I knew and very dangerous to the tourist industry on Samui and Kho Phangan as also stated in various reports.

The first reports on the dangerous Hispine Beetle are from February 2004 when the government reported a mojor breakout in the southern provinces, including Surat Thani (Samui&Phangan).

Fortunately there seems to be a biological treatment by means of 'wasps'.

Further info, see above link.

QUESTION: does anyone know if the government of Surat Thani is doing something about it?

read: buying the wasps to save the palmtree farmers and the palmtrees and, as a maybe more important issue:

SAVE the islands? (tourist industry!)

Samui/Phangan/Koh Tao would be 'deserted islands' WITHOUT the palmtrees...

LaoPo

Yes I noticed the sudden wasted condition of the trees on the properties at the bottom (beginning) of the big hill to Nathon, on the right travelling West from Mae Nam. Most of the islands resorts employ Khun Chai's (Tarzan) team to regularly crop their trees and he treats the trees with a compound also which effectively halts the trees decay.

[LaoPo]

Yes I noticed the sudden wasted condition of the trees on the properties at the bottom (beginning) of the big hill to Nathon, on the right travelling West from Mae Nam. Most of the islands resorts employ Khun Chai's (Tarzan) team to regularly crop their trees and he treats the trees with a compound also which effectively halts the trees decay.

That's good to hear!

This is an important document to read:

Invasion of the coconut hispine beetle, Brontispa longissima: Current situation and control measures in Southeast Asia

THAILAND_INVASION_BEETLEpaper_899851121.pdf

From this report:

Thailand: The plant damage caused by B. longissima was first found near the border

of Malaysia in 2000.

Heavy infestation was reported in February 2004 in southern

provinces, and since then the beetle has spread into central and southern parts of the

country.

Asecodes hispinarum was introduced from Vietnam in 2004, and the

government started a project of "mass-rearing & releasing of the parasitoid" (US$1

million) from February 2006, together with a promotion of educating local farmers

about biological control.

Most of the coconut trees in heavily infested areas such as

Samui Island and Surat Thani are now almost recovering, but there are still some

plants with heavy symptoms of damage existing in patches in these areas.

Theparasitoid has not been released in some of the central and most of the eastern

regions where heavy infestations can be seen (R. Morakote, personal

communication).

Good and positive results!

LaoPo