INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OF CALIFORNIA. 



301 



Food Plants.- Tlic foliage of almond, coast, live oak, white oak, 

 peach, plum and prune are eaten. The coast live oak appears to he the 

 normal host. 



Control.— As the adults are unable to fly, they may be shaken from 

 the trees and their reascending prevented by tanglefoot or cotton bands 

 around the trunks of the trees. However, as their attacks are rare, 

 control measures are seldom, if ever, necessary. 



THE BRONZE APPLE-TREE WEEVIL 

 Magdalis wnescens Leeonte (Family Curculionidae) 



(Fig. 295) 



Description. — The weevils are dark metallic bronze with quite a 

 long snout, as shown in Fig. 295. The length of the body is from £ 

 inch to | inch. The grubs are very small, legless and white. 



Life History. — According to Wilson and Lovett,-' 15 the eggs are laid 

 in punctures about }■ inch deep, which have been made in the dead or 

 living bark by the snout of the 

 female. It requires a couple of 

 weeks for the eggs to hatch. 

 The young grubs immediately 

 begin to make galleries in the 

 bark and remain in these until 

 pupation takes place in the 

 spring of the year, when they 

 emerge as adults. 



Nature of Work.-- The small 

 circular or oval egg-punctures 

 are easily observed in the bark. 

 The grubs make small burrows 

 from the egg cells and their 

 work appears to be limited en- 

 tirely to the bark. 



Distribution. — This weevil is 

 widely distributed in the Pacific 

 Northwest and probably occurs only in the extreme northern part of 

 California. 



Food. — The apple trees are the only reported hosts of this weevil. 



Control. — The observations of Wilson and Lovett lead to their 

 recommending the cutting out of the bark around and including the 

 egg-punctures, as the most satisfactory control measure. 



Naturaly Enemy. — The parasite, Ghiropachys colon Linn., has been 

 reared from this weevil. 



THE BLACK FRUIT-TREE WEEVIL 

 Magdalis gracilis Lecoute (Family Curculionidae) 



(Fig. 296) 



Description.— The adults are small, dull-black weevils, from j to § 

 inch long. The head is much narrower than the prothorax ; the snoul 



215 Bien. Crop Pest and Hort. Rept. Ore. Agric. Exp. Sta., p. 159, 1911-1912. 



Fig. 295. — The bronze apple-tree weevil, 

 Magdalis anescens Lee. Adults, enlarged three 

 times. (Original) 



