Aug 19, 2024UCCE releases Carpophilus beetle identification guide
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) has released a visual guide to help almond growers identify damage caused by the Carpophilus beetle, an invasive pest first detected in California’s Central Valley in 2023.
The Carpophilus beetle, has caused significant losses in Australia, Italy and Argentina, and has now quickly become a major pest in California’s almond and pistachio orchards.
The visual guide, developed by UC experts, helps growers distinguish Carpophilus beetle damage from that caused by navel orangeworm and ants. The beetle, just 2.5 mm long, infests almond varieties such as Nonpareil, Sonora and Monterey. The Carpophilus beetle lays eggs on hullsplit nuts, with larvae and adults feeding directly on the kernels.
With no commercial traps or lures available in the U.S., the guide emphasizes sampling at hullsplit, damage assessment at harvest and post-harvest mummy nut sampling to manage infestations. The Carpophilus beetle overwinters in “mummy nuts” on the ground, completing up to two generations before attacking new crops.
Growers can download the Carpophilus beetle guide from the UC Cooperative Extension website. For more information, email Jhalendra Rijal.
