Overview

Managing pests and diseases in home pecan orchards requires a different approach than commercial production. Most homeowners lack access to air-blast sprayers, restricted-use pesticides or the labor needed for intensive monitoring. Instead, success depends on low-input, practical strategies that emphasize prevention, good tree care and timely intervention when problems arise.

In Louisiana’s humid climate, disease pressure, especially from pecan scab, can be high. Likewise, insect pests such as aphids, shuckworms and pecan weevils are common. But with thoughtful planning and a few key practices, many issues can be minimized or managed without routine spraying.

This publication focuses on what to do when problems appear, especially in settings where spraying is limited or not feasible. It includes homeowner-accessible tools and techniques such as:

• Choosing scab-tolerant cultivars and planting sites with good airflow
• Using sanitation, pruning and canopy management to reduce pressure
• Applying labeled fungicides and insecticides only when needed and only when feasible
• Addressing wildlife pressure and non-pest concerns that often prompt homeowner calls

Note on integrated pest management: This publication focuses on practical, homeowner-friendly actions to manage pests, diseases and other orchard challenges. For a broader, systems-based approach, including how to monitor pests, plan ahead and integrate multiple control strategies, see other titles in the From Soil to Shell: Louisiana Pecan Series and the Louisiana Home Orchard: Pecans publication available through the LSU AgCenter.. Together, these offer both the “what to do” and the “why and when” behind effective orchard care.

This publication will cover:

1. Recognizing and Managing Pecan Diseases: Major disease of pecan scab, leaf and shoot diseases, wood and crown diseases, surface growths and secondary issues.
2. Recognizing and Responding to Pecan Pests: Nut and shuck feeders, foliage feeders, sucking insects, gall-forming pests, trunk and limb pests, scale insects, nonpest organisms.
3. Practical Care and Knowing When to Ask for Help: Guidance on when to contact extension or a certified arborist, with examples of situations that warrant outside help.

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