What's eating my pecan 'elliot'?

Pecan 'Elliot' is a late-maturing, scab-resistant cultivar primarily threatened by pecan weevil — its late shell-hardening date coincides perfectly with peak adult emergence. Pecan nut casebearer, aphids, and pecan phylloxera also cause damage. Its resistance to fungal scab makes it a low-spray choice for organic or low-input orchards if weevil is managed.

Adults feed on nuts at the water stage then lay eggs at shell-hardening; larvae hollow out kernels completely; infested nuts drop before harvest. Apply carbaryl at water-stage and shell-hardening; use kaolin clay as a contact deterrent; monitor soil emergence cages from August to time chemical applications accurately.

Early-generation larvae destroy young nutlets; later broods bore into kernel cavities, reducing yield even on mature trees. Pheromone-trap monitoring to catch egg-hatch; apply spinosad or carbaryl at the appropriate spray window in late spring and again mid-summer.

Tiny insects form galls on leaves and petioles in spring, causing premature leaf drop; heavy infestations weaken trees and reduce nut set. A single application of a systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) just before bud break gives season-long control; no treatment needed in most years on healthy trees.