IPM strategies for combatting weevils in apple orchards
Once established on a property they are hard to eradicate and can cause serious damage to fruit and leaves if left uncontrolled.
Weevil eggs laid inside drippers and microjet heads are common and expensive in loss of trees and irrigation maintenance.
Neither FRW nor Garden weevil can fly. They can be prevented from spreading from an orchard block by following good farm
hygiene rules.
Weevils cling tightly to rough surfaces and can travel from one lock to another on ladders, bins, bags, clothing and fruit. Their distribution around a farm can often be traced along the picking attern of varieties between blocks.
Adult weevils appear from November through to February in Tasmania. They begin laying eggs about 3 to 4 weeks after emerging. Eggs are laid on or close to the ground and the hatched larvae spend winter feeding about 15cm underground.
Weevils are controlled in orchards by reducing adult numbers before they begin to lay eggs.
Good Farm Hygiene... To prevent the spread of weevils to clean blocks always visit the infested blocks or varieties last.
For more information including identification, control options and monitoring visit the Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) website.