acorn weevil (Curculio sp.) at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A3646
Female acorn weevils use that remarkable specialized snout to chew a tiny hole into developing acorns now in late summer and then lay a few eggs inside. Upon hatching, the larval weevils start eating the nutritious nut meat and grow into little white grubs. Once the acorn falls from the tree in autumn, the mature acorn weevil grubs chew a small round hole in the acorn shell wall, crawl out, and then tunnel undergound where they pupate and overwinter. Next summer when the oak trees start to make new acorns, they'll emerge just like this one and start the whole cycle over. There are several very similar-looking acorn weevils in our area.
acorn weevil (Curculio sp.) at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A3646
Female acorn weevils use that remarkable specialized snout to chew a tiny hole into developing acorns now in late summer and then lay a few eggs inside. Upon hatching, the larval weevils start eating the nutritious nut meat and grow into little white grubs. Once the acorn falls from the tree in autumn, the mature acorn weevil grubs chew a small round hole in the acorn shell wall, crawl out, and then tunnel undergound where they pupate and overwinter. Next summer when the oak trees start to make new acorns, they'll emerge just like this one and start the whole cycle over. There are several very similar-looking acorn weevils in our area.