SHADE TREE INSECTS 63 



A Willow Leaf Skeletonized by Grubs of the Willow Leaf Beetle. 



(Note the adult beetles on the leaf.) 



Life History. The adults hibernate in cre\ices in the trunk and under loose 

 bark. In the spring about early May they emerge, feed on the foliage, and begin 

 to lay their lemon-yellow eggs in irregular masses on the under side of the leaves. 

 These eggs hatch in a few days and the larvae, or grubs, feed on the lower surface 

 of the leaves. In about a month they mature, attach themselves to the under 

 side of leaves and transform to pupae, soon afterwards becoming adults. These 

 adults eat holes through the leaves. There is probably one complete generation 

 and a partial second in Massachusetts. Farther south, in New Jersey, there may be 

 three generations a year. 



Control. A poison spray mixed in the proportion of 3 pounds of lead arsenate 

 to 100 gallons of water should give satisfactory control if applied when the grubs 

 first begin to feed. The under side of the leaves especially should be sprayed. 

 Because poplars and willows have smooth, shiny leaves it would be advisable to 

 add 2 pounds of flour or 1 pound of calcium caseinate as a sticker. 



Weiss, H. B. N. J. Agr. Exp. Sta. Circ. 100:11-12. 1918. 



Weiss, H. B. N. J. Dept. Agr. Circ. 26:18-19. 1919. 



Weiss, H. B., and Dickerson, E. L. Can. Ent. 49:104-109. 1917. 



Willow Flea Weevil 



Orchestes rufipes Lee. 



This native snout weevil is widely distributed in North America. It has been 

 reported from eastern Canada, northeastern United States south to New Jersey, 

 the North Central States, northwestern United States sotith to New Mexico and 

 north to Alaska. 



The injury consists of feeding punctures caused by the adult weevils and leaf 

 mines caused by the grubs. The adults confine most of their damage to willows 

 but have been found feeding abundantly on other species of trees in the vicinity 

 of willows. Early in the season the adults eat out circular holes on the tips of 

 the new sprouts, often killing them. Most of the adult feeding, however, is done 

 on the under side of the leaves where the beetles devour the soft leaf tissue leaving 

 only the upper epidermis. The shallow pits are about 1/32 inch in diameter. 

 Feeding punctures are also made on the under side of the midrib. 



The mining of the leaves by the grubs evidently causes the most severe injury. 

 The introduced laurel leaf willow, Sali.x pentandra, is injured most seriously. 

 Blotch mines are made in the upper side of the leaves. The upper surface of these 

 mines is slightly blistered. Trees most heavily infested by the grubs appear as if 

 scorched by fire, and later in the summer lose many of the affected leaves. 



Description. The adult, which is a snout weevil, is somewhat oval in shape, 

 about 1/12 inch long, black in color, and covered with a thin, grayish pubescence. 



