INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CLOVER 203 



in the pith of the stems early in June, and the larvae 

 emerging from these feed upon the pith of the stem, often 

 very seriously weakening or killing it. The larvae become full- 

 grown in a short time, transform to pupae, and the beetles appear 

 by August. 



Clover is only one of a dozen food-plants of this insect, which 

 is widely distributed. It rarely does any considerable injury 

 where clover is regularly cut in early summer and fall, and need 

 not be feared when this is not neglected. 



The Clover Leaf -weevil * 



The clover leaf- weevil is a stout, oval beetle, about one-third 

 inch long, with a long, thick snout. It is of a brownish color, 

 with several narrow gray lines above and broad gray stripes 

 on each side, and with twenty rows of small, deep punctures 

 on the wing-covers. It is also a native of Europe and made its 

 first appearance in the same section- of western New York as the 

 last species, about 1881. Since then it has spread eastward to 

 Rhode Island and Vermont, southward to North Carolina and 

 \\Vst Virginia, and westward to Wisconsin and Illinois. Every 

 few years the weevils and their larva) destroy much of the foliage 

 in restricted localities, but rarely are they very injurious the next 

 season. Red clover, alfalfa, and white clover are preferred in the 

 order named; in Illinois the mammoth and alsike are also eaten. 



Life History. In early fall the female beetles lay their eggs 

 in crevices among the stems near the base of the plant, which 

 hatch in from three to six weeks. The young larvae which hatch 

 from them are without legs, but manage to climb by means of 

 the prominent tubercles on the lower surface of the body. They 

 are light yellowish-green, becoming deeper green as they grow 

 older, the head is brown, and down the middle of the back 

 is a white or pale yellow stripe bordered with reddish. The 

 larvae become partially grown before winter sets in, when they 

 hibernate in rubbish or just under the soil until spring, when 

 they continue to feed upon the foliage and become full-grown 

 * Phytonomus punctatus Fab. Family CurculwnidiK. 



