Infestation by insects

September 2004. Samoa reported a serious problem on peanuts. More than 50% of the harvested pods had holes in them. What could it be?

Weevils, sarabeid beetle larvae, mole crickets, earwigs, termites and mealy bugs were all suggested. Later, some earwigs emerged from peanuts incubated in the lab. It was also asked if there was any sign of frass inside the peanuts? The photo (sent from Papua New Guinea for comparison) suggests there may be. If this is the case, it may be from the pyralid Etiella behrii. It leaves a circular hole in relatively mature pods even if they are still in the soil. The earwigs may be secondary to this.

There seem to be a number of posibilities, but the damage needs to be described. Was there frass/entry holes/signs of chewing? If so, there are a number of possibilities including wireworms (Elateridae), false wireworms (Tenebrionidae), cutworms (Noctuidae) … even termites.