Field Identification
A tortricid larva that tunnels pecan and hickory shucks, causing blackening, sticktights, and reduced kernel fill—Mother Nature’s argument against ignoring moth flights. It also attacks late corn ears where wild hosts abound.
Small mottled moths; pinkish larvae with dark heads web shuck tissue and leave frass. Multiple generations can occur in warm summers, with later broods more damaging to maturing nuts.
How to Deal With It
Organic Control Methods
Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki or spinosad aimed at small larvae after nut set—coverage inside shucks is tough, so time sprays to egg hatch using pheromone trap biofix.
Trichogramma egg parasitoids in research settings; braconid and ichneumonid parasitoids of larvae—preserve with selective timing.
Remove alternate hosts like late corn near orchards; destroy fallen infested nuts; open canopy modestly for predator access without sun-scalding fruit.
Mating disruption with pheromones works at adequate contiguous acreage—less practical for single backyard trees.
Hang pheromone traps to monitor flights; scout shucks for entry holes and frass two weeks after peak catch.
Let Nature Handle It
Natural Enemies
- Trichogramma spp.
- Braconid Wasps
- Ichneumonid Wasps