Overwintering of Anthonomus eugenii (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Southern Georgia

Abstract

The pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano, is the key pest of peppers wherever the crop and pest coexist. Based on location of the original description (Cano 1894, Naturaleza 2: 377–379) and genetic analyses (Van De Vossenberg et al. 2019, PLos ONE 14(8): e0221182), the origin of the pepper weevil is considered to be Mexico. It is generally more prevalent in warmer climates and a consistent pest of peppers throughout Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and the southernmost states in the United States (Riley and King 1994, Trends in Agri. Sci. 2: 109–121). In the United States, the pepper weevil was first reported in Texas in 1904 (Walker 1905, USDA Bur. Entomol. Bull. 54: 43–48). This infestation was suspected to have resulted from importation and repackaging of infested peppers from Mexico (Elmore 1934, USDA Tech. Bull. 447). Elmore (1934) further indicated that movement of infested peppers, picking sacks, and young pepper plants likely moved weevils into new locations. Economically damaging infestations in both field and greenhouse grown peppers have been reported in more northern climates including New Jersey, Canada, the Netherlands, and Italy. These infestations have generally been attributed to importation of infested fruit as they occurred near repacking and processing facilities (Fernandez et al. 2020, J Integ. Pest Manag. 11(1): 1–11; Ingerson-Mahar et al. 2015, J. Integ. Pest Manag. 6(1): 77; Van de Vossenberg et al. 2019). The pepper weevil has a limited host range with plants in the Capsicum and Solanum genera as the only reported reproductive hosts (Elmore 1934; Fernandez