1. 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

2. The Three Stages of PNC

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

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

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

6. 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

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

8. 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.

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

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

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

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

13. Results

14. 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.

15. Thank You  Tracey Carrillo  Jesus Rodriguez  Assured Program