Fuller Rose Beetle

Fuller rose beetle adult

Characteristic Fuller rose beetle damage to leaves

Management of Fuller rose beetle: monitoring and management tactics have not changed much since the 1980s.
See pest control circular 547 for more information. FRB Pest Control Circular 8-87

Basic Information

Life Cycle: Fuller rose beetle, Pantomorus cervinus (Boheman), adult females emerge from the ground year round, but heaviest emergence is from July-October. There are no males. Female beetles lay eggs under the calyx of citrus fruit and other cracks and crevices. The neonate larvae drop to the ground and feed on roots for 6-8 moths, after which they pupate and then emerge as adults the following year.

Host List: Fuller rose beetle attacks citrus, berries, and roses.

Damage: Fuller rose beetle is generally not thought of as a pest of citrus except in rare situations where it feeds on the new leaves of recently topworked trees. However, it can be of great concern for export countries that do not have this pest. Loads of fruit found to contain a single viable egg mass are subject to fumigation. This treatment can be both costly and damaging to the fruit.

Distribution: Throughout California citrus.