Antimicrobial activity of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera Dryophthoridae), is an important pest of palms. Knowl- edge of both its natural enemies and its defensive mechanisms against predators and microorganisms is important to develop methods for an integrated pest control. Antimicrobial activity of the cuticular surface of adults and larvae, as well as of eggs, of this invasive species was investigated. This activity was tested against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis (Ehrenberg) Cohn and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner, the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli Escherich, and the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and Metarhizium aniso…