Longevity of Post-Emergent Adult Pecan Weevil 1 in the Laboratory and Field 2

Abstract

Post-emergent pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Horn) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), adult longevity estimates were made using field-collected cohorts of adults. Observations were made in 1) the laboratory, 2) the field, and 3) by inferentially sampling emerging and dying adults. The latter provided the best estimate of post-emergent adult longevity. The inferential sampling method of calculating longevity indicated that males live from 15.5–29.9 days and females live from 22.6–25.6 days when emergence occurs in August and September. Adults delayed in emerging until October due to drought conditions, lived for shorter periods of time. Adults occurring in groves containing no pecan nuts were not observed to die in the grove, indicating both sexes emigrated. When pecan nuts were present and heavily infested with the pecan weevil, an equivalent number of males was observed emerging and dying. For every 2 females emerging, only one was observed dying, indicating that females will tend to emigrate from infested groves even when there are nuts present.