Pest Control - pecan weevils

Author

pecan weevils

Bart Byers

2006-07-18, 9:25 pm

I have seven tall old pecan trees in my yard. In recent years several
have been infested with pecan weevils. Soon they are due to emerge from
the ground, fly to the nearest trunk, and climb into the tree to deposit
eggs in the new nuts.

Commercial growers detect the bugs with traps or by shaking the trees
over white cloths. Then I believe they spray the ground to kill the
emerging bugs.

My trees are too tall to shake and I'm not equipped to spray the ground
with poison. I wonder if powdering the trunks with something like Sevin
would stop them.

Any advice?

Lar

2006-07-19, 1:25 pm

In article <5badnewc3o-hDyDZnZ2dnUVZ_sCdnZ2d@flxtek.net>,
junkyard_angelMUNG@mymacmail.com says...

I have seven tall old pecan trees in my yard. In recent years several

have been infested with pecan weevils. Soon they are due to emerge from

the ground, fly to the nearest trunk, and climb into the tree to deposit

eggs in the new nuts.

Commercial growers detect the bugs with traps or by shaking the trees

over white cloths. Then I believe they spray the ground to kill the

emerging bugs.

My trees are too tall to shake and I'm not equipped to spray the ground

with poison. I wonder if powdering the trunks with something like Sevin

would stop them.

Any advice?

This is going without any research on the weevil, but you mentioned they
climb the trunks to infest the trees. There is a gummy product called
Tanglefoot that is used to stop insects that climb the trunks to infest,
might be what you need.
--
Lar

It is said that the early bird gets the worm,
but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Bart Byers

2006-07-19, 5:25 pm

Lar wrote:
> In article <5badnewc3o-hDyDZnZ2dnUVZ_sCdnZ2d@flxtek.net>,
> junkyard_angelMUNG@mymacmail.com says...
>

I have seven tall old pecan trees in my yard. In recent years several
>

have been infested with pecan weevils. Soon they are due to emerge from
>

the ground, fly to the nearest trunk, and climb into the tree to deposit
>

eggs in the new nuts.
>

Commercial growers detect the bugs with traps or by shaking the trees
>

over white cloths. Then I believe they spray the ground to kill the
>

emerging bugs.
>

My trees are too tall to shake and I'm not equipped to spray the ground
>

with poison. I wonder if powdering the trunks with something like Sevin
>

would stop them.
>

Any advice?
>

> This is going without any research on the weevil, but you mentioned they
> climb the trunks to infest the trees. There is a gummy product called
> Tanglefoot that is used to stop insects that climb the trunks to infest,
> might be what you need.

Thanks. I wonder how expensive it would be to use Tanglefoot and what
would eventually become of what I applied.

I've found more information from the North Carolina Extension Service.
It says to spray the trunk and the ground out to the drip line with
Sevin every week to ten days starting in August. Most of bugs emerge
after rain softens the ground.

Spraying the ground around seven big trees sounds like quite a big job,
and I don't know what beneficial organisms I might kill. 85% of the
weevils climb the trunk from a level below eight feet; the rest fly to
the canopy. To me, it sounds more efficient to cut my losses 85% by
spraying trunks than to try for 100% by spraying my lawn.

It amazes me that crawling over bark sprayed several days ago can kill a
weevil. I happen to have Diazinon concentrate on hand, but I don't know
if it would serve as well as Sevin.

Lar

2006-07-19, 8:25 pm

In article <b4KdnVmYdJl_NSPZnZ2dnUVZ_vSdnZ2d@flxtek.net>,
junkyard_angelMUNG@mymacmail.com says...

Thanks. I wonder how expensive it would be to use Tanglefoot and what

would eventually become of what I applied.

I've found more information from the North Carolina Extension Service.

It says to spray the trunk and the ground out to the drip line with

Sevin every week to ten days starting in August. Most of bugs emerge

after rain softens the ground.

It's supposed to be bio degradable..reading this site it mentions use
for pecan weevils... http://www.tanglefoot.com/products/barrier.htm I
would imagine the use of Sevin or your diazinon would be a coin toss of
which to use... diazinon has been taken off of the market, so I wouldn't
think the extension agency would still recommend it.

--
Lar

It is said that the early bird gets the worm,
but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

gpsman

2006-07-20, 3:25 am

Bart Byers wrote:
> I have seven tall old pecan trees in my yard. In recent years several
> have been infested with pecan weevils. Soon they are due to emerge from
> the ground, fly to the nearest trunk, and climb into the tree to deposit
> eggs in the new nuts.

What is "tall"?

> I wonder if powdering the trunks with something like Sevin
> would stop them.

If your trees are 20' plus you might consider professional services.
If the nuts are of value to you... it should be an easy choice.
-----

- gpsman

Bart Byers

2006-07-20, 1:25 pm

Lar wrote:
> In article <b4KdnVmYdJl_NSPZnZ2dnUVZ_vSdnZ2d@flxtek.net>,
> junkyard_angelMUNG@mymacmail.com says...
>

Thanks. I wonder how expensive it would be to use Tanglefoot and what
>

would eventually become of what I applied.
>

I've found more information from the North Carolina Extension Service.
>

It says to spray the trunk and the ground out to the drip line with
>

Sevin every week to ten days starting in August. Most of bugs emerge
>

after rain softens the ground.
>

>
> It's supposed to be bio degradable..reading this site it mentions use
> for pecan weevils... http://www.tanglefoot.com/products/barrier.htm

The instructions say to band the tree with paper or foam, then apply the
Tanglefoot to the outside of the band. My trees have very coarse bark.
I wonder why weevils wouldn't climb in the cracks in the band.

> I
> would imagine the use of Sevin or your diazinon would be a coin toss of
> which to use... diazinon has been taken off of the market, so I wouldn't
> think the extension agency would still recommend it.

I've found some info on diazinon. An advantage over Sevin is that it
kills all kinds of bugs. The EPA became concerned that cumulative
exposure could harm children.

Pecans were dropped from a list of crops where the EPA was concerned.
Two concerns were flea collars and applications where it would show up
in the fat of livestock. Sales to homeowners for outdoor use were
phased out.

Bart Byers

2006-07-20, 1:25 pm

gpsman wrote:
> Bart Byers wrote:
>
> What is "tall"?

Sixty feet or more.
>
>
> If your trees are 20' plus you might consider professional services.
> If the nuts are of value to you... it should be an easy choice.
> -----
>
> - gpsman
>
I haven't read any recommendation to spray the treetops, if that's what
you mean. One year I picked up 250 pounds, but I gave away what I
didn't eat. I've never sold any.

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