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Step 1
Note the time of year. You're most likely to see the first eggs on your pecan tree in April or May. The pecan nut casebearers do the most damage to your pecans during this first generation of insects. You can find three to four generations of eggs, roughly every six weeks, in one given growing season. The fourth generation builds cocoons near the buds to hibernate for the winter. Then, they resume their tunneling into the nuts in the spring.
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Step 2
Scout the outside of the nuts on your pecan tree for eggs. Pecan nut casebearer eggs are tiny, but you can see them with the naked eye. The eggs start off either white or greenish-white, then they look kind of pink because they get red spots on them.
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Step 3
Look for larvae crawling on the buds and nuts on your pecan tree. Once the pecan nut casebearer eggs hatch, the larvae snack on the buds for a few days before tunneling into the nuts. They leave behind silk and black excrement on the nuts. The larvae live in the nuts for four to five months before they emerge as moths.
