Here is an acorn that I reemed a hole in with my letter opening stiletto and into which the grub unhesitatingly ventured and busied itself, witness the mine trailings. In taking this shot and a few others like it I noticed the hole was more free of frass (or gnawings or whatever) than when I noticed it this morning. I didn't realize it was vacant.

Afterward I noticed Mr. grub galumphing along in the soil. What was he doing out of his acorn? Again? Well, it's Thanksgiving and maybe he was just pushing himself back from the table like everyone else today. You can actually see the grub in the photo mostly covered with soil (bottom left corner). I hadn't noticed him till I viewed the image on computer.

I have been thinking about a critical point in an acorn curculio's development. Does the grub pupate inside the acorn and gnaw its way out with its tiny weevil mandibles? Or does the grub leave the acorn and pupate in the soil? Certainly the grub is better equipped to widen the bore that mama curculio made to lay her eggs. It is likewise better able to squirm through a hole in the acorn wall. I would think the feasible course would be to leave the protective (and trapping) confines of the acorn shell and pupate in the soil. Maybe that's what this one is getting ready to do.

Next question, do curculio larvae often leave their acorns in nature and scout around, possibly for a better-tasting acorn? Are most acorn curculio larvae buried along with their acorn by squirrels hoarding for the winter? If so, the transition from nut to soil and back would be a little more natural. Maybe these guys need to come out and get a drink of water frequently. I know I would if I was munching on bitter acorns. Akkk!