Pest profile

Yellow Poplar Weevil

Odontopus calceatus · Coleoptera: Curculionidae[2]

Yellow poplar weevils chew holes shaped like curved rice grains in leaves of yellow poplar, sassafras and magnolia.[1]

Yellow poplar weevil, a small black snout beetle, on a person's hand
Yellow poplar weevil, a small black snout beetle, on a person's hand. (c) Alina Martin, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Adults are small black snout beetles, also called sassafras or magnolia weevils.[1]
  • Larvae are white, legless grubs that mine inside the leaves.[1]

Where it lives

UK Extension covers it as a pest of yellow poplar, sassafras and magnolia.[1]

US map: public records from 18 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults overwinter in leaf litter and start feeding on buds in late April and early May.[1]

Eggs go into leaf midribs; larvae mine the leaves, which turn brown and look scorched.[1]

Damage and signs

  • New adults in June feed on leaf undersides, leaving yellowed spots; leaves may drop if trees are drought stressed.[1]

Health risk

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

Control

Prevention

Damage is unsightly, but the injury probably won't harm large established trees.[1]

Pesticides

Acephate or carbaryl can reduce damage when feeding shows on about 10 percent of branches.[1]

Common questions

What's making little holes in my tulip poplar leaves?
Often yellow poplar weevils, whose feeding holes look like curved rice grains.[1]
Will it kill my tree?
Probably not; the damage to established trees is mostly cosmetic.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT), “Yellow Poplar Weevil (ENTFACT-414).” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef414 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Odontopus calceatus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/226209 (accessed 2026-10-06)

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