64 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 353 



The legs and antennae are reddish-yellow. At the base of the wing covers is a 

 small white spot. 



The egg is white, oval to circular in shape, and about 1/60 inch long. 



The mature larva is about 1/6 inch long, is widest just behind the head, and 

 tapers slightl\- toward the rear. The head is dark as well as a spot just behind it 

 dorsally which is divided along the center line. Dark, transverse spots are present 

 along the top of the body backward from the first abdominal segment and on the 

 under side backward from the second abdominal segment. 



The pupa is about 1/10 inch long. At first it is white but later becomes almost 

 black. 



Left: Willow Flea Weevil. Greatly enlarged. 

 Right: Willow Leaf Injured by Willow Flea Weevil.s. 



Courtesy, Robley Nash. 



Life History. The adult weevils hibernate in the soil beneath trees, in sod, 

 debris, under stone walls, and under loose bark or in cavities. About the time 

 the willow buds open, the weevils go to the twigs and leaves and feed there until 

 almost midsummer. Eggs are laid from the latter half of June until early July. 

 The^' are inserted in the leaf tissue in cavities similar to feeding punctures. In 

 about 10 days the eggs hatch and the grubs proceed to make their blotch mines 

 in the leaves. Later they pupate in these mines and in late August the weevils of 

 the ricw' generation begin to appear and feed on the foliage until they go into their 

 hibernating quarters in the fall. There is one complete generation a year. 



Control. In recent tests best results were obtained with a contact spray mixed 

 in the proportion of 1 1/3 pints of nicotine sulfate plus 1 3/5 pints of liquid 

 potash soap to 100 gallons of water. This should be applied twice: first, during the 

 height of the egg-laying season to kill the adults and eggs; and again, about 3 

 weeks later, to kill the eggs and grubs in the new mines. Both surfaces of the 

 leav'es should be sprayed. Because spraying often causes the adult weevils to 

 drop from the foliage, the ground beneath the tree should also be thoroughly 

 sprayed. 



Nash, R. \V. Jour. Econ. Ent. 27(2) :336-339. 1934. 

 Weiss, H. B., and Lett, R. B. Psyche 28:152-155. 1921. 



Cottonwood Leaf Beetle 



Chrysoniela scripta Fabr. 



This insect is distributed over a large part of the United States. It is a serious 

 pest of Cottonwood, poplar, and willow, especially in the Western States where it 

 has caused serious defoliation of these trees. The larvae, or grubs, skeletonize the 

 lower surfaces of the leaves. In New York State the insects have been known to 



