Every spring we monitor the development of the first summer generation of pecan nut casebearer. This morning I looked at 300 nut clusters in our native grove and found a single nut that displayed the tell-tale signs of casebearer feeding (photo at right). Judging from the light tan color of the frass pile, the lowest nut in the cluster was attached very recently. The frass pile will turn dark brown as it sits exposed to the weather. Look carefully and you can see fine silken threads that extend from the frass pile to the the peduncle of the nut cluster. These threads serve to keep the nut attached to the tree while the insect feeds inside.
I like to wait until we record 2 to 3 percent damage before applying an insecticide to control this pest. With only a single damaged nut found, its still too early to spray. Keep up to date on our latest casebearer observations by clicking on the casebearer tab above. We scout our trees every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
