Insects Attacking the Pecan 171 



and fall to the ground. Those attacked just before maturity 

 have more or less shriveled kernels, and the nuts are difficult 

 to separate from the husks at harvest time. Nuts which are 

 practically mature before the shuck-worm enters the husk 

 ripen in fairly good condition, except that the shells are more 

 or less discolored which detracts from their market value. 

 This species is thought to feed on the tender twigs of the 

 pecan and on the hickory during the interim between 

 the emergence of the moth and the formation of the pecan 

 nut. 



The wing expanse of the moth rarely exceeds three-fifths 

 of an inch. It is smoky -black, tinged with purple, and has 

 short yellowish streaks across the front margin of its fore 

 wings. The larva has a creamy-white body and a light brown 

 head and is about three-eighths of an inch in length when 

 fully grown. 



There are probably three broods of this species in the 

 extreme lower South, but possibly only one near the northern 

 limits of pecan culture. 



There is a difference in susceptibility of varieties of pecans 

 to the shuck-worm. In the infested sections of the piedmont 

 or more elevated parts of the pecan belt, the Stuart variety 

 is heavily attacked. 



C07lt7^0l, 



Since the shuck-worm hibernates in the shucks or husks 

 of the pecan and the hickory, they should be gathered 

 and destroyed in the fall soon after the nuts are harvested. In- 

 asmuch as the larva enters the husks almost immediately after 

 hatching and is beyond the reach of spray solutions, spraying 

 is not generally recommended. Plowing under the husks has 



