What are the management practices suggested controlling rhinoceros beetle?
• Provide field sanitation to prevent breeding of beetles. • Hook out the beetles from the attacked palms by using beetle hook. • The topmost three leaf axils around the spindle may be filled with any of the following mixtures as a prophylactic measure: (a) Sevidol 8G 25 g + fine sand 200 g, which is to be done thrice in a year in April-May, September-October and December-January. (b) Naphthalene balls 10.5 g (approx. three balls) covered with fine sand, once in 45 days. • Treat manure pits and other possible breeding sites with 0.01% carbaryl on w/w basis. Treatment will have to be repeated every three months. • Release Baculovirus oryctes infected adults @ of 10-15 / ha to bring down the pest population. • Inoculation of breeding sites with green muscardine fungus, Metarrizhium anisopliae (spray 250ml Metarrizhium culture + 750ml water in manure pits and other breeding sites of the beetle) (@ 5 x 1011 spores / m gives effective control.
