The larvae create holes in the fruit skin when they leave the fruit to pupate. These holes are clean-cut and free of frass or webbing. The have four characteristic humps on their wing covers. Adults may overwinter in the soil or in hedgerows near host trees. These adults emerge from their overwintering sites to feed on trees in early spring.
Females lay eggs within the fruit.
Larvae may feed on the fruit for 2-3 weeks before they burrow into the ground to pupate. Adults emerge in mid- to late summer to cause more feeding damage on mature fruit before they overwinter. Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Control 1. Shake infested trees. In backyards with only a handful of infested trees, plum curculios may be shaken out of infested trees.