curculio

American  

[kur-kyoo-lee-oh] / kɜrˈkju liˌoʊ /

noun

curculios plural

1. any of several weevils, especially one of the genus Conotrachelus, as C. nenuphar plum curculio, which feeds on plums, cherries, and other fruits.

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curculio British  

/ kɜːˈkjuːlɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. any of various American weevils, esp Conotrachelus nenuphar ( plum curculio ), a pest of fruit trees

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• curculios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curculio

1750–60; < Latin: weevil, corn worm

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curculio curculios

In the 1890s many smaller growers struggled to afford expensive and elaborate controls to combat pests such as San Jose scale and plum curculio.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2023

Plum curculio worms may show up in fruits if the trees are too deep in the ground — so get all the root flares dramatically exposed by removing mulch and soil.

From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2020

David Riley, a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia, works with vegetable pests like cowpea curculio, which has decimated the state’s black-eye pea fields.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2019

He also controls predation from the plum curculio, a snout beetle that’s a major pest of many fruits, not just plums.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 25, 2017

The disease still prevails among us, and it is sure to destroy all the plums which escape puncture by the curculio.

From American Pomology Apples by Warder, J. A.

For many years these curculios have been controlled by spraying the trees soon after growth starts with lead arsenate, 2 pounds per 100 gallons, plus an equal amount of hydrated lime.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association

Our State Experiment Station suggests the use of a cryolite spray as it is more effective against curculios than arsenical sprays and less likely to injure tender walnut foliage.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943 by Northern Nut Growers Association

The arsenate of lead in the mixture will control the young of leaf eating insects and precocious plum curculios.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by Latham, A. W.

Scrobe, skrōb, n. a groove in the rostrum of weevils or curculios, or on the outer side of the mandible.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Weevils and Curculios Weevils and curculios are small, hard-shelled, grayish to brown beetles about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, with stiff, slender snouts or beaks.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association