As this year's dry spring weather continues, another species of sawfly larvae has appeared in our pecan grove.
Megaxyela major produces a yellow larvae with black head and a row of black spots on each body segment (photo at right). These sawfly larvae chew large holes in the foliage and can usually be found curled around leaves, rachises, or leaf midribs.
Like the sawfly species I described in
early May, this species of sawfly has a single generation per year. Fortunately, I have never seen
M. major populations so large as they require a pesticide application. The cluster of sawfly larvae pictured at left occurred on a single pecan branch terminal. It has been the only colony of his species of sawfly we have found across our entire 80 acre pecan grove.
