Pest profile

Pecan Weevil

Curculio caryae · Coleoptera: Curculionidae[2]

Pecan weevil grubs eat developing pecan and hickory kernels, and damage often isn't noticed until nuts are cracked.[1]

Pecan weevil, a hairy brown weevil with a very long snout
Pecan weevil, a hairy brown weevil with a very long snout. (c) Annika Lindqvist, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Adults are reddish-brown with olive-brown hairs and scales, about 3/8 inch not counting the snout.[1]
  • The female's snout is as long as her body; the male's is about half that.[1]

Where it lives

It's a serious late-season pest of hickory and pecan.[1]

US map: public records from 19 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults emerge in late August through September, often after heavy rains, as nuts begin to harden.[1]

Grubs exit through a round 1/8-inch hole and spend one to two years in the soil; the cycle takes 2 to 3 years.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Adult feeding causes early nut drop, and grubs destroy kernels; grubs sometimes turn up where nuts are stored.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UK Extension mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Traps and physical control

Starting in mid-August, jar limbs over a large sheet to see when weevils are active and time any treatment.[1]

Common questions

What made the round holes in my pecans?
Mature pecan weevil grubs chew a round 1/8-inch exit hole.[1]
Do the same trees get hit every year?
Often, since weevils move only short distances after emerging.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT), “Nut Weevils (ENTFACT-206).” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef206 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Curculio caryae taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/217926 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.