Attack of the killer B, but not the B you think, this is the beetle, the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB). Below is what we found after spraying are crops with insecticide.
I've mentioned CRB's in a a previous post but now the situation has seemed to have gotten worse. Here is more info about a CRB's.
Adult CRB's are about 30-60mm long (about 2 inches) solid, black beetles.
Both male and female CRB have a horn on their head, though the male’s horn is more than twice as long as the female’s.
Eggs are laid and develop inside rotting coconut logs, mulch or compost piles.
Eggs hatch into C-shaped, larval grubs that can grow to be 60-105mm (2.3-4.1 inches) long.
Grubs feed on decaying wood and organic material for about 4-6 months before pupating.
After a pupation phase of about 2 weeks, adults emerge.
Adult CRB's bore into the crowns of coconut palms to eat developing leaves. They also bore into the palm stem and feeding on the sap.
CRB damaged palm fronds have distinct geometric notching, appearing to have been cut by scissors.
The damage to palms and their fronds can outright kill the tree or leave it susceptible to disease.
Adult CRB spread through flight, hitchhiking and in high wind events.Also they are mainly active at night and live between 4-9 months.
We are now using insecticide to spray our coconut trees every 2 weeks and monitoring this situation. It is quite serious so I will be also seeking advice from other coconut farmers.
They also attack banana & plantain trees, so we are on the look out.