Infesting a variety of palm trees throughout Egypt, the Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is regarded as a damaging pest. The objective of the current study was to determine the protein pattern while evaluating six essential oil emulsions as botanical extracts against this pest in a laboratory setting. The method of dipping food was used at concentrations of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6%. There were notable variations between the various oils and exposure times. The studied oils showed varying fatality rates in response to increasing concentrations. Across all concentrations, the lowest mortality was obtained with citronella oil. After 96 hours, 6% of the clove and orange oils caused 100% death. Totally 90% of insect died when exposed to 4% concentration of chili oil. Even though the tested oils had different fatality rates, longer exposure times resulted in larger percentages. The molecular weights of the bands varied and ranged from 7 to 275 KD in the treated hemolymph and from 6 to 273 KD in the untreated hemolymph, indicating significant variations between the two types of hemolymph. It is stated that essential oils are a good choice for RPW control approaches, as long as the suitable type of oil is used, taking into account exposure time and oil concentration.

Keywords: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Red Palm Weevil, Protein Pattern and Essential Oils