Chestnut Weevil

Chestnut Weevil

Curculio elephas

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Hamburg

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

11 Verified sightings at Hamburg
26 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Chestnut Weevil

Curculio elephas is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. It is known commonly as the chestnut weevil. It is a serious pest of chestnut (Castanea sativa) in Europe. Curculio elephas are similar to Curculio sayi and Curculio caryatrypes in the United States.

Adults feed on chestnut foliage until nut kernels enter the dough stage in mid to late August. Although they can lay eggs any time after kernel filling, most eggs are laid after the bur begins to open. The adult female weevil drills a hole in a chestnut fruit and deposits one egg inside. The eggs are laid into the cupules or around the peduncle joints. Eggs hatch in five to seven days producing large, legless grubs. When the larva emerges from the egg it feeds on the developing chestnut. The larvae leave behind frass and excrement. Infested nuts may contain several weevil larvae or weevil burrows filled with excreta. Upon chestnuts fall, the larvae chew their way out of the nuts and retreat into the ground. They immediately bury themselves several centimeters deep in the soil. The following July, the larvae turn into pupae. Pupae may be in the soil for one season or for several years... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
2 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Hamburg 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%
4 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
<5%
5 Porto 🇵🇹 Portugal
<5%
6 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut Weevil in Hamburg?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Weevil sighting in Hamburg on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 216th most-seen of the 423 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chestnut Weevil in Hamburg?

July to September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Weevil in Hamburg on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Chestnut Weevil?

Between 10 pm and 1 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut Weevil sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Hamburg the best place to see a Chestnut Weevil?

Among the best

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Chestnut Weevil sightings, Hamburg ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Berlin (Germany, about 10%).

Where does the Chestnut Weevil sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chestnut Weevil is recorded against all the insects logged in Hamburg (11 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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