Extension solves mysteries...the Yucca Weevil

Published: 2022
By Mary Rumph

Over the last five years, there have been reports of yucca plants dying. MSU Extension helped to finally discover the cause through the help of a landowner who had more than a hundred yucca plants in their native landscaping, all of which were dying. During the removal of the dead plants, yucca weevil larvae and adults were detected and positively identified through a diagnostic lab. The larva feeds on the inside of the root, causing decay and allowing for disease.