INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE STRAWBERRY 401 



to seven days and the small whitish larvae feed on the pollen and 

 later on the harder parts of the buds. Three or four weeks are re- 

 quired for a larva to become full grown. It then forms a little cell 

 in the bud, in which the pupal stage is passed in from five to eight 

 days, when the adult beetle emerges and cuts its way out. Thus 

 the complete life cycle occupies about a month and in the District 

 of Columbia the new generation of beetles appears during June. 

 They are frequently found in large numbers on strawberry flowers 

 and on those of the horse 

 mint (Monarda fistulosa), 

 but the beetles soon seek 

 hibernating quarters, there 

 being but one generation 

 a year. 



Control. As the larva? 

 feed upon the pollen of the 

 buds of staminate varieties, 

 the staminate varieties are 

 most injured, and injury 

 may be avoided by growing 



as few rows of staminate >w^ jg 



varieties as are necessary FIG. 335. The strawberry weevil: a, 6, spray 

 for fertilizing the rest of the showing work in bud and stem natural 



size; c, outline of egg; a, larva; e, head of 

 bed. Indeed the very early same; /, pupa; g, bud opened to show egg 



^nminafp varipfip^ mio-ht on left and punctures made by snout of 

 vane might beetle through petals (After chittenden, 



be used as a trap crop for U. S. Dept. Agr.) 

 attracting the weevils, which might be destroyed by covering 

 the rows with straw and burning, or possibly by spraying with 

 arsenicals. By planting rows of early varieties, which flower 

 freely and produce an abundance of pollen near woods and 

 fence-rows where the beetles have hibernated and appear first, 

 they might be effectively trapped, and then destroyed. Although 

 the larvae cannot be reached with any insecticide, the beetles 

 feed more or less on the buds and foliage, and further experiments 

 should be made in spraying for them with arsenicals. Dr. T. J. 

 Headlee (Circulars 56 and 65, New Jersey Agr. Exp. Station) 

 recommends dusting the plants with arsenate of lead powder 

 one pound mixed with five pounds sulphur dust. On a large 



