The weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum, also known as the American or black palm weevil, has wreaked havoc on San Diego County’s Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) over the past decade. Palm weevil larvae emerge from eggs laid in the trees and then burrow to the crown and feed on the palm tissue there. The wound ferments, and that odor—combined with pheromones released by adult weevils—brings even more weevils to the infected palm tree, ultimately killing the tree within just a few months. (Photo by Ivan Milosavljević, Ph.D.)