These guys are all over my plums. They only attack the brand new plum leaves and seem to leave everything else alone so far. Is this PC? They are about 1mm-2mm long.
It is a weevil. Though, It does not resemble the bumpy PC weevil. Despite this, I would assume that they will go after your plums, especially if they are situating on the plum tree.
The weevil pictured above by PA_Fruit_Grower has smooth elytra (wing covers), unlike the very bumpy Plum Curculio.
There are many species of smooth, black weevils with white-dotted elytra. The tiny size would be an ID factor as most weevils are larger than 2mm.
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It does look like a PC but my PCās body seems a little more round/ shorter
Do Curculio damage the leaves too?I thought it was the fruit.
Thanks. Not much I can do until bloom is over. I didnāt get any fruit last year due to the late frost so no idea if they will go after the fruit or not. They did manage to eat about 40% of the new foliage off my smaller plum last year. They seemed to disappear after early spring though, either due to spraying or changing weather.
They are really small, canāt see the long snout without my macro lens.
I have read of shaking PCs off each morning into a sheet on the ground. Maybe that might work with these weevils. Give it a try and let us know the results.
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Please give opinions on this recently received Marianna2624 root stock. I was told that they appear healthy, but I do not believe so. I feel that it looks like phytophthora root rot. The areas that appear damaged were in contact/Surrounded with soil and some roots. The wet appearance in the lower photos is from water. The root stocks are older than one year.
I am sorry to say this but it kind of looks awful but maybe thats just the pictures, it definitely looks like it was stored too wet and rotting a bit. I am not sure whats up with the bark near the roots but to me the cambium pictures look very concerning. Its hard cuz i also feel they are wet and the plastic behind it has a dexter thing going on 
Root rot has a swampy smell to it.
I do have a question for you guys though. PC has been in my yard for say 4 years but this last year with everyone elseās fruits getting froze out they hit my yard enough to cause me to lose some cherries and have bumpy apples. I used some nematodes last year that were more to infect the japanese beetle population and was wondering at what time larval forms of PC are in the soil and in general what life forms of PC are in the soil and what times of the year they wake up and maybe when they wake up in the soil temperature wise.
I agree, it doesnāt look well. I inquired to the extension office for their opinion and am waiting to hear back. Without a test, there probably is no definitive answer. I donāt feel good planting them or the other root stocks they were bundled with because I do not want to risk introducing a new pathogen into the area ( Though, I probably already have at this point; water has been draining from pots containing the less symptomatic root stocks which were bundled together ). I feel that all of the root stocks that came with these, the scions I used on some of them / intended for them, and the pots I used, are now a loss.
Well i tried shaking them off. They shake off pretty easy, but they fly away before they hit the ground. They are too small to smack to the ground like bigger bugs. Found them all over my peach leaves too. Pretty much all the new leaves have tiny holes in them already. Weāll see how much damage they do by petal fall.
from what I understand weevilās dont fly. You can prehaps wrap your trunks with tanglefoot and stop there march
If the weevils fly off when you shake them, how about zapping them with one of those devices that look like a tennis racquet? There is something weirdly satisfying about hearing the zaps as you wave it around. Of course, this would only work for a small tree or two, not an entire orchard.
Well I found themā¦ they are an intentionally released invasive insect.
https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/GoodNatured/Pages/Article.aspx?post=118
Could also be this one:
These are the closest ones I could find.
Your weevil looks more like the Yellow Poplar.From other pictures,the Mile-a-Minute one has an orange tinge on the back in a lot of them.
Too many look-alikes to ID the weevil to a single species based on the picture alone.
Yellow Poplar Weevil 2.5 to 4mm in size.
The Rhinoncomimus latipes weevil linked to above is the right size (2mm).
https://biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/weedfeed/Rhinoncomimus.php
(emerges black; acquires orange features after feeding)
If it is indeed feeding on Prunus, authorities would be very interested as that weevil species was thoroughly tested for the mile-a-minute weedy vine.
Some weevil species fly but it is not common for the group.
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The extension office responded back and is in agreement that these root stocks do not appear healthy. Although, they did not give an exact diagnosis ( that would require a test ) and suggested I contact the nursery for possible replacement. ( The supplier told me that they appear healthyā¦ )
In case it helps others, as I think Iāve IDād this as a soldier beetle, a beneficial! Saw it on my peach tree. Iām also trying to figure out how to entice more ladybugs, as Iāve got a huge aphid problem and I see only one ladybug all by its lonesome.
When researching the above insect, use the term āSoldier Beetleā.
The insect commonly known as a soldier bug is entirely different.
Today I spotted one of the weirdest creatures Iāve ever seen since starting my orchard 6 years ago. Itās the first time Iāve heard of or seen the hummingbird clearwing moth. I was checking the awesome bloom of my Juliet bush cherry and heard a hummingbird, or at least it sounded like one. I saw this small flying object and at first glance thought carpenter bee, then quickly changed to a baby hummingbird, then realized it was a mothlike creature I had never witness in nearly a half century. It was shy and was difficult to photograph. I quickly searched the net to find it is a āhummingbird clearwing mothā. The moth stage of the gnarly tomato horn worm. This thing was doing a bangup job pollinating the bush cherry. Take a look at the photos closely and you can see it.
Is it a pest? well according to the internet as a moth itās a great pollinator. But during the larvae stage as a hornworm it can be a bit destructive. Iām still trying to determine how destructive they are. For now this one lived.
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/hummingbird_moth.shtml
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