Dates and insecticides
✍ 1 Nov 2021
In South Spain you can find delicious dates. The most tasty ones I find in Almería. They're big and juicy like the Medjool dates. But I decided, not to eat them anymore. They could be treated with insecticides, because of this beetle...
Since about 2006, the palm weevil has been present in southern Spain. It bores into the trunks of date palms and causes them to die if nothing is done about it. Control is labour-intensive, and for a long time it was only possible with insecticides that were harmful to the environment and health.
Recently, there has been an inexpensive alternative with nematodes, parasites that infest the beetles. However, Almería still uses insecticides.
Links for further reading:
Warning of eating the dates in Almería: https://almeriaisdifferent.com/datiles-palmeras-almeria/
About the palm weevil: https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhynchophorus_ferrugineus
Algeciras still uses insecticides, but in a more environment friendly way: https://www.europasur.es/algeciras/tratamiento-picudo-rojo-palmeras_0_1580543068.html
Roquetas de Mar, a town close to Almería, uses Nematodes: https://www.roquetasdemar.es/noticias/contenido/las-labores-de-control-y-tratamiento-por-la-plaga-del-picudo-rojo-entran-en-fase-de-lucha-biologica_6359
What's the bad effect of the insecticides for humans? I only found vague information on the following page: "An opinion by the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that the neonicotinoids acetamiprid and imidacloprid could have harmful effects on the development of the nervous system in infants and young children. The brain's learning and memory functions may be impaired. [17]" https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonicotinoide
If a source in a town contains a few bad bacterias, you can find normally a warning, not to drink the water. In my opinion, there should be a warning on every tree that is treated with insecticides, not to eat the fruits!
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