The cultural impact of the red palm weevil and its management in Saudi Arabia

The date Palm is an important fruit tree in Saudi Arabia, Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East Countries. Twenty-six references to palms or dates are mentioned in the Qur’an, sixteen of them are mentioned as evidence of God’s bounty. In addition, Prophet Muhammad mentioned the date palm and dates in some of his Hadeeths (Phrases). The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) becomes the most destructive and dangerous pest of date palms in the last 2 decades. Integrated pest management (IPM) is being implemented to control RPW.