My Time With Moths: Occurrence, Density, and Seasonal Pattern of Two Strains of Pecan Nut Casebearer (Acrobasis nuxvorella) in the Mesilla Valley Ellie M. Apodaca, Tracey Carrillo and Jesus Rodriguez

The Three Stages of PNC

Egg  Over-wintering moths lay eggs around mid- April  Hatch about mid-May

Larvae  The larvae stage is the most damaging stage of the life cycle  It lasts from about mid-May until the end of June

Moth  The adult moth emerges in mid- July  It is about 1/3 inch long and gray in color

Generations  2-4 generations in a life cycle  1 st generation most damaging to pecan orchards (whole clusters)  2 nd generation only eat one or two nutlets  3 rd and 4 th generations eat little and go into hibernation in a silken cocoon

Damage First generation larvae do the most damage They burrow into the nulets and eat the gelatin inside often destroying whole clusters

Southern Strain  Different lures are needed for the Southern Strain  Different insecticides are needed  Using the same lures and insecticides would be useless against a different kind of moth. This is why the strains need to be identified.

Objective   To determine the occurrence, density and seasonal pattern of the Southern Strain of PNC in the Mesilla Valley

Execution  Bucket Traps are used for PNC capture  Female Pheromone Lures  Toxicant Strip

After Moth Capture  Moths are placed in containers and labeled:  Bucket #  Date  Native or Southern traps

Sorted  Once moths are brought back to the lab they are counted and sorted into Native, Southern, or non-incidentals

Results

Conclusion The Southern strain of PNC does exist in the Mesilla Valley. Continued research will determine: number of generations, seasonal pattern throughout the entire season, and density. DNA fingerprinting will confirm identification and references other strains that may be present.

Thank You  Tracey Carrillo  Jesus Rodriguez  Assured Program