This pest is the most destructive insect of pecans in the U.S. and is generally distributed throughout the pecan belt.
The larvae attack the nuts from midsummer until harvest. They cause damage by feeding in the interior of the nut and then moving to the shuck as the shells harden where they continue to feed.
The shuckworm overwinters as a full-grown larva in shucks on the ground. The creamy to dirty white larvae pupate and emerge as moths from spring to early summer. It is the late brood which lays eggs on the small nuts and foliage of the pecan. Depending upon climate, there may be as many as 4-5 generations each year.
