It is put on WWW only to facilitate automated indexing and retrieval. Tables are scrambled and illustrations are omitted. View, read, or make a reprint of this item in its original format, including tables and illustrations. Go to homepage of Florida Entomologist on WWW for more information about this service. In Florida, acerola is grown in the southern part of the state in homeowner's yards and as a commercial crop.
Adults deposit eggs on the anthers of flower buds or in immature fruits.
Acerola weevil larvae develop in the flowers and fruit causing extensive damage to floral reproductive structures and to the flesh of the fruit. This damage results in reduced yields. To our knowledge, parasitoids have not been reported from this weevil. Acerola fruit were collected in Dade County as part of a population dynamics study to determine the presence and importance of natural enemies as mortality factors of the acerola weevil. Collection sites were established at the University of Florida Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, and at two commercial sites.