Field Identification
A large colorful snout beetle whose larvae girdle structural roots of citrus, ornamentals, and berries, opening the door to Phytophthora and sudden canopy collapse. Adults notch leaves like pinking shears gone feral.
Adults are mottled gray, orange, and cream with rows of colored scales; larvae are yellow legless grubs in soil. Native to Caribbean, invasive in Florida and beyond.
How to Deal With It
Organic Control Methods
Nematode applications (Steinernema riobrave, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) timed to vulnerable instars; kaolin on foliage reduces adult feeding—not a silver bullet.
Entomopathogenic nematodes are the main scalable biocontrol; ants and fungi contribute opportunistically.
Avoid soil compaction and over-irrigation that favor Phytophthora synergy; remove alternate hosts; coordinated area-wide trapping reduces mating success modestly.
Mass trapping adults with color and aggregation cues in research settings; hand collection on small holdings.
Monitor adult flights with Tedders traps; scout notching; link tree health programs to root inspections.
Let Nature Handle It
Natural Enemies
- Steinernema riobrave
- Heterorhabditis bacteriophora
- Metarhizium spp.