Pecan Basics: Insect Pests of Pecans
Overview
There are three insects that attack the pecan nut and may require management every year in areas of Texas where they occur. These are the pecan nut casebearer, the pecan weevil, and the hickory shuckworm. These nut feeders have coevolved with the pecan.
Pecan arthropod pests can occur throughout the growing season. Fortunately, most of them are not a threat to pecan production most of the time because they are controlled by natural enemies, adverse weather, defensive or repair mechanisms of the pecan itself and other factors.
Regular pesticide application is not recommended to control these pests for several reasons:
- too expensive
- resistance to pesticides will develop
- natural enemies may be killed
- non-target pests will become problems
- unnecessary use of pesticides pose dangers to the applicator and to the environment
Pesticides should be used only when a pest is present in damaging numbers and no other management method will be effective. The ability to recognize these pests and their natural enemies will greatly aid in making these management decisions.
The development of various pecan pests is usually closely related to the seasonal development of the pecan. Although the severity of insect problems cannot be predicted on a seasonal basis, producers should frequently determine tree and nut development to aid them in predicting insect problems and planning control strategies. The seasonal pecan pest profile indicates the possible insect problems associated with various developmental stages of the pecan.
