Plum Curculio vs American False Blister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Plum Curculio American False Blister Beetle
Scientific Name Conotrachelus nenuphar Oxacis taeniata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae Oedemeridae
Size 4-6 mm 6-10 mm
Habitat Orchards Woodlands
Diet Fruit Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf states Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Plum Curculio

A dark brown snout beetle covered in warty bumps that is a major pest of stone fruits. Females carve a crescent-shaped scar around each egg they lay in developing fruit.

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Did You Know?

The distinctive crescent-shaped scar it cuts around each egg prevents the growing fruit from crushing the larva inside.

American False Blister Beetle

A small, elongate pale beetle with dark longitudinal stripes found in eastern North America. Adults are commonly attracted to lights on summer nights.

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Did You Know?

Larvae develop inside dead and decaying logs, helping to recycle nutrients back into the forest floor.