Origin:
It is native to Europe but now found throughout North America, and is a serious agricultural pest in the Pacific Northwest.
Biology:
This is another common species of the many kinds of “root” weevils in North America, and it feeds on many kinds of herbaceous plants but is a serious pest of strawberries. Larvae live in the soil feeding on the roots of plants while the adults feed on the leaves, stems, and berries. They overwinter as either an adult or a pupa in the soil, the adults emerging in late spring to early summer. Females deposit their eggs on the soil and the larvae burrow in to feed on the roots.
Identification:
The adult beetle is a shiny dark brown to black, about ¼ inch long, and has rows of distinct pits or punctures running lengthwise on its thorax and wing covers. The snout is short and thick and with the long, thin, elbowed antennae arising from the very end of the snout. The legs are often a reddish-brown color. The larva is a typical weevil larva of white, legless, and slightly C-shaped. Feeding damage by adult beetles is seen as small, round notches along the margins of the leaves.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Control with insecticides is aimed at killing the adult beetles, as the larvae are generally going to be in the soil. Contact insecticides applied to the foliage when adult beetles are present can be helpful.
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