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Massasauga rattlesnake | The wild thing for the week of 8/18/08
Apple curculio, Tachypterellus quadrigibbus, is
a native North American beetle that attacks apples, causing the fruit to be deformed.
An adult apple curculio is grayish-black, small, has a triangular-shaped body, a long, slender snout and four humps on its back. It hibernates on the ground under debris in the winter and emerges when the ground temperature reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The apple curculio then climbs a tree and feeds on young growth such as fruit spurs and leaf petioles. They mate when apples bloom.
The curculio damages young apples by making a tiny hole in the skin to feed. A female lays eggs in similar holes when apples are about the size of a garden pea or larger. She seals the puncture with excrement that turns black after a few hours. An apple curculio can lay about 28 eggs throughout the season. The eggs hatch in about a week. Larvae eat the apple’s flesh and seed. They grow through six larval instars, pupate and emerge from the fruit as an adult beetle. Peak emergence occurs in late July or early August. New adult beetles continue to feed on the apple until they hibernate.
Sprays should be applied at petal fall and first cover.