Description:

Adults are small, dark gray to reddish-brown beetles about 3/16 inch (5 mm) long with slightly curved snouts, approximately one-third the body length.  Larvae are small, legless creamy white grubs and are found inside the nuts.

Damage:

The nut curculio attacks immature pecan nuts from late June through early August.  Adults puncture the young nuts with

Seasonal History:

The adult nut curculio deposits a single egg in the shuck of each nut during late June or early July.  Within a few days the egg hatches, the larvae begins to feed, and the nut falls to the ground.   The creamy white, legless larva continues to feed in the dropped nuts for about two weeks before leaving the nut.  The larva then forms a pupal cell under the nut in the upper 2 to 4 inches of the soil. Adults emerge from August to October. Adults overwinter in ground trash or other protected places.  The nut curculio produces only one generation per year. 

When to Control:

When trees have a good nut crop, nut curculio damage may go unnoticed or be attributed to hickory shuckworms or pecan weevils.  Chemical control may be necessary when past history, jarring the tree, or knock-down sprays indicate the presence of many adults.