How-To Features Tree Registry Register your trees for customized advice. Hickory Shuckworm Mature larvae of Hickory shuckworm, Cydia caryana , overwinter in pecan shucks found on the ground or the tree and emerge as moths in mid-May. Spring development of hickory shuckworm coincides with that of native hickory trees, which set fruit two to three weeks earlier than pecans. Females make shallow, crescent-shaped punctures with their beaks in the shucks of immature nuts, and they deposit a single egg in each nut. The adult pecan weevil typically emerges from the soil as early as July 25, frequently two to three days after a heavy rain.
Adults cause two types of nut damage, depending on the stage of nut development during attack.
The pecan leaf phylloxera and the southern pecan leaf phylloxera feed primarily on the foliage, whereas the pecan phylloxera attacks the foliage, shoots and fruit and is therefore the most damaging. With warmer temperatures and rainfall in the spring, fungal spores are produced on the stroma. Dew and rain spread spores locally within a tree, and the wind spreads them over long distances to adjacent trees or orchards. Fall Care Kits Prepare your trees and shrubs for winter with this kit containing specially formulated fall fertilizer and the TreeHelp Bug Band insect trap.