Who you're gonna call?

Whom are you going to call if there's a Red Palm Weevil in a tree near you? Joseph Cremona, a restaurateur-turned-pest-buster, claims to have the solution to the scourge: a dimethoate injection.

But, apparently, there is injecting and injecting...

The art lies in the concentrations, amounts and, primarily, the drilling technique - something he can only demonstrate physically.

His "magic" potion includes spraying the insecticide Confidor on the palm, apart from injecting it with dimethoate (a phosphoric acid). The exact spot where it is injected is paramount too.

The pest buster embarked on his new career path about 18 months ago, his family having a garden with 70 palm trees. When the first and only one died from the destructive infestation, he did his research, based on studies at the University of Oman.

The injection of the insecticide is acceptable on palm trees because they are purely decorative and do not grow fruit that is eaten, he explains.

Not a single palm tree in Malta is safe unless it has been treated in some way, Mr Cremona maintains, warning not to wait for any visible signs of sickness before taking action. "You just won't see them!"

Mr Cremona is inundated with calls to go and save ailing palm trees.

But for the majority, the calls come in too late. And there's a limit to how many trees he can treat in a day because they first need to be extensively pruned.

It costs about €14 an hour to engage the Red Palm Weevil buster, plus expenses, and it could take him a whole day to do the job!

The palm tree doctor is just not coping and is constantly running after emergencies. He claims the subject has been tackled loosely. The problem is that the techniques to attack the weevil are constantly developing because so is the pest.

Despite Mr Cremona's confidence in his Confidor-dimethoate concoction, he cannot claim to save trees because treatment has to be ongoing and the palm needs to continue being sprayed regularly.

According to the self-taught expert, the Red Palm Weevil infestation is strongest in Madliena, Birkirkara, Guardamangia and the south of the island, while Mellieħa has not yet been hit badly while Gozo is safe. The insect only flies 1.5 kilometre at a stretch, so it cannot cross over to Gozo, while no palm trees are being transported, giving it a ride.

However, the pest will jump onto other trees next and is not just restricted to the palm, he maintains.