Plum Curculio

Description:

Adult beetle, black or brownish black, is about 1/4" long, very hard, and has a beak 1/4 as long as its body. It prefers apples and stone fruits (peach, plum, etc.). Adults overwinter in the trash beneath trees, in fence rows, or in wooded areas. In spring they begin appearing at late bloom. Larvae bore to the center of the fruit immediately after emerging from the egg and feed near the core. After completing growth, the larvae bore to the outside and drop to the ground. Through most of the season, eggs are laid under the skin of fruits. Larval injury is extensive and usually causes fruit to fall before larva completes growth.

Solutions:

Use kaolin clay products early in spring (green bud stage). Continue spraying every 7-14 days during the growing season; keep young fruit coated; increase interval to 14-21 days as plant growth slows. Reapply after heavy rains. We recommend Surround At Home Crop Protectant. Clean up damaged fruit to prevent larvae from getting into soil. Spray Grub-Away® Nematodes wherever apples drop to reduce next year's curculio population.

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