13 Pests and Diseases that Affect a Pecan Tree

Quick repair on cut and damaged limbs is necessary when you grow a pecan tree. Fast action can prevent pests and diseases from getting into the damaged tree. There are several pests common to pecans which can kill or severely hurt them.

Common Pests and Diseases in Pecans

Pecan Weevil- light brown or grayish beetle that feeds on pecans, causing both nutdrop and kernel damage

Yellow Pecan Aphid- this pest's honeydew secretions support growth of sooty mildew

Pecan Scab- fungicide disease characterized by black or olive brown colored spots on nuts and leaves

Pecan phylloxera- small, aphid-like pest that causes gall on pecan leaves and limbs

Pecan nut casebearer- most prevalent pecan pest, this insect's larva burrows into nutlets after pollination, destroying kernels

Twig Girdlers- these insects bite into pencil-sized limbs, "girdling" them so that the limbs often break under weight of nuts

Leaf blotch- a fungus that only attacks unhealthy pecan trees

Mold and mildew- a fungal disease characterized by white, powdery growth on leaves and nuts

Crown gall- soil dwelling microbe that enters pecans through cuts or wounds in the tree and causes galls on the crown where the trunk and roots join

Cotton root rot- a fungus that rots the roots of pecan trees, killing them

Pecan webworm- moths which feed on foliage of pecan trees, growing in webs as larva/caterpilars before cocooning and hatching as moths

Powdery mildew- dusty white to gray fungus that stunts growth

Sooty mold- black fungus that grows on honeydew secreted by aphids