The apple fruit rhynchites is a local but destructive pest of apples which has been increasing in importance in recent years so monitoring is advisable. Hawthorn is the normal host but apple and occasionally pear, plum and cherry can be attacked.
Adults are readily recognised being reddish-brown and having a typical long weevil snout. During blossom and early fruitlet development, the adult weevils drill small cylindrical holes into the flesh with their rostrum. Numerous holes may be made in one fruitlet, or in a group of adjacent fruitlets, by a single weevil. Feeding can continue till July.
At the base of some holes, single eggs may be laid. These hatch after a week or so and the larva feeds on the surrounding flesh, becoming fully grown in about 3 weeks. They then drop to the ground and eventually pupate in the soil, each within an earthen cell. There is apparently one generation per annum.
Fruitlet damage can be serious and is very characteristic. On apple there may exceptionally be 100 or more holes in a single fruitlet but more likely several or many neighbouring fruitlets will each have a small number of holes, each damaged fruit potentially being down graded.
Attacked apples remain marked and distorted, although the holes tend to close up as the fruitlets grow.