Friday, November 5, 2010

Pecan Weevils (Central Texas)

Pecan harvest is under way and I was recently contacted by a colleague who handles all things pecan. Pecan weevil has not been recorded before from Travis County (and several other counties...see map below), so we're asking you to be our eyes in the field. If you suspect pecan weevil, please contact me.
Look for BB size exit holes in pecans.

Pecan weevil adults are brownish beetles about 3/8 of an inch long with long snouts. Larvae (grubs) are creamy-white with a brownish head capsule.

Adult weevils become active in late August- early September. Both adult male and female weevils can damage nuts by feeding on or laying eggs (females) on pecans.

After mating, females chew a hole in a pecan shell and deposit their eggs inside. Larvae feed and develop inside the pecan shell. Full grown larvae then chew out of the shell and drop to the ground to create a cell in the soil. Full grown larvae and adults spend the winter in the soil about 4-12 inches deep.

For more information on pecan weevil biology, please see the Texas AgriLife Extension Service publication.

Again, if you live in a county on the map above that is not red (without pecan weevils being confirmed) and you suspect that you may have them, please contact me. I would need to come out and collect suspected damaged pecans and record the GPS coordinates. Images are from Bill Ree- thanks Bill!

6 comments:

LindaCTG said...

Wizzie,

I'm so thankful for your instructional and inspiring posts. This is great info for us all. I rely on them to educate me, for sure.

And I love the updates on your son too. This is really a nice personal connection along with your educated info.

katina said...

Hey, I don't have Pecan Weevils, but I do have a gnat problem in my flower pots at work. Are there any solutions other than pouring a bunch of pyrethrin over the dirt?

Wizzie Brown said...

Those are most likely fungus gnats. Let your plants dry out between waterings and the problem should go away. For more information, see this post:
http://urban-ipm.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html

Wizzie Brown said...

Thanks Linda- I appreciate it!

Julie Holt said...

Just found your blog in searching about Weevils for my Kindergartener's insect project! I think we had them last fall in Travis County... We have 3 pecan trees in our backyard, I thought the holes were probably from ants or something. We live in 78733, just outside the city limits of Austin. I'll contact you if I see them again this fall!

Anonymous said...

I had one show up on my bathroom mirror and have been trying to figure out what it was...all pics point to pecan weevil....north central Travis county here