457 



the bud remains moist and will not dry up as it would on the stem. 

 The eggs hatch in from six 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 required 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 



FIG. 326. The strawberry weevil: a, b, spray showing work in bud and stem 

 natural size; c, outline of egg; d, larva; e, head of same; /, pupa; g, 

 bud opened to show egg on left and punctures made by snout of beetle 

 through petals. (After Chittenden, U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



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 

 varieties as are necessary for fertilizing the rest of the bed. Indeed 

 the very early staminate varieties might be used as a trap crop 

 for attracting the weevils, which might be destroyed by covering 

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



