JOURNAL 



OF 



ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 



OFFICIAL ORGAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS 



Vol. 14 APRIL, 1921 No. 2 



Proceedings of the Thirty-Third Annual Meeting of the 

 American Association of Economic Entomologists— (Cow^mw^ti) 



Morning Session, Thursday, December jo, g.jj a. m. 



President Wilmon Newell: The first paper on the program is by 

 S. W. Bilsing. 



THE PECAN NUT CASE BEARER (ACROBASIS CARYAEVORELLA) 



By S. W. Bilsing 



The pecan nut case bearer in its larval stage is the most important 

 insect enemy of the pecan industry in Texas. The author has conducted 

 a series of spraying experiments extending over several years to find a 

 possible control for this insect. 



There are three generations during the year. The larva of this insect 

 passes the winter in the larv^al burrow at the base of the buds. These 

 larvae become active about the time the buds start in the spring. The 

 moths which come from these overwintering larvae begin to emerge 

 during the latter part of April and continue to emerge for about twenty 

 days. The eggs are laid in the center of the pistil of the nut from three 

 to nine days after emergence. The egg hatches about five days after 

 deposition and the young larva usually attacks the buds on the limb 

 below the nut cluster. In a few days it returns to the nut cluster and 

 begins boring into the nuts at the base. The nuts are attacked when 

 they are verv^ small, scarcely larger than an ordinary pea. The presence 

 of a larva in a nut is indicated by the excrement and frass which projects 

 from the opening at the base of the nut through which the larva entered. 

 The nut drops to the ground after the interior is hollowed out and as 

 the nuts are very small at this time one larva may destroy a large nimiber 

 of nuts before it has reached maturity. The larva reaches maturity 



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