Hickory Shuck Worm: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Cydia Caryana

Appearance: Cydia Caryana, often known as the hickory shuck worm moth, is a Tortricidae family moth. It is native to North America. The wingspan is 10–12 mm. Adults fly from June to July, depending on location. Carya ovata, Carya illinoensis, and Juglans nigra are the caterpillars’ favorite plants.

Hosts Plants: The larvae feed mostly on the nut shucks of pecan and hickory, especially after the shell hardens. The larvae of the first generation often feed and develop in phylloxera galls.

Territory: The most damaging pest to pecans is the hickory husk worm. This bug, which is endemic to the eastern United States, wreaks havoc on pecan plantations across the Pecan Belt, including Texas.

Damage Insect Cause: First generation larvae may destroy a few pecan nutlets, but the damage is usually not severe. Larvae of the second-generation feed on the nuts, causing them to fall from the trees. The shucks are mined by third generation larvae, limiting nut content and forcing the shucks to stick to the shell. This decreases the quality and yield of the nuts. Damage to phylloxera galls can be regarded _beneficial; but major shuck worm issues sometimes accompany a heavy phylloxera infection.

Life History and Habits: Shuck worm pupae overwinter on the tree or on the orchard floor in old pecan shucks. Adults emerge, mate, and lay eggs from mid-April to mid-May. Hickory nuts, small pecan nutlets, or phylloxera galls can all be used to hatch eggs from the first generation. Because the larvae in pecan nutlets are too small to develop, they perish when the nuts fall from the trees. In May and June, larvae emerge in hickory and phylloxera galls, followed by first generation adults in late June and July.

These adults lay eggs on pecan nuts and coat them with a gelatin-like substance produced by the female. This substance turns creamy white and is a distinguishing feature of shuck worm egg sites. During the months of July and August, the larvae feast on the nuts. Nuts that have been harmed by this generation frequently fall from the tree. In late August and early September, second generation adults emerge and give birth to a third generation of larvae. During the fall, they feed on pecan shucks, pupate, and overwinter. Oklahoma has three generations every year.