Adult: Black snout beetle, gray or yellow markings. 1/8 inch long. The snout is about half the length of the body. Larva: Grayish white, pale brown head. Legless, up to 1/4 inch long.
Pepper.
Adults feed on foliage, blossom buds and tender pods. Larvae feed within buds and pods. Large pods are misshapen and discolored. Buds and pods may drop off plants.
From Florida and southern Georgia to southern California.
Pepper weevils overwinter in warm climates, such as Florida. Migration north occurs in the spring, either through flying or transport on pepper transplants or market fruit. In the spring pepper weevils are found on solanaceous weed hosts, moving to pepper plants as they are planted in warmer weather. In early summer females bore holes in pepper buds and fruit where they deposit eggs, which they protect with a brownish excrement. Over a period of a month a female may lay as many as 200 eggs. Larvae emerge from eggs in about 3-5 days and enter pepper pods. Pepper weevil larvae feed inside the pepper for over a week. Pupation occurs inside peppers in a cell constructed of frass. Beetles emerge in about 4-6 days. The timespan from egg to adult beetle is about 2-3 weeks in warm weather, but increases as temperatures drop.
Remove plants immediately after harvest. Remove nearby nightshade plants.
No known organic/biological control for pepper weevil at this time.
Use a registered insecticide to control the pepper weevil.
Notice: Because pesticide labels can change rapidly, you should read the label directions carefully before buying and using any pesticides. Regardless of the information provided here, you should always follow the latest product label when using any pesticide. If you have any doubt, please contact your local Extension agent or pesticide dealer for the latest information on pesticide label changes.
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Prepared by Alexandra Spring and Eric Day (Modified from a publication by the USDA)