Insects, etc.. Injurious to the Straivherry. 461 



THE BLACK ANTHONOMUS. 



{Antlionomus nihi. Ilei'ljst.). 



This small weevil is in some seasons quite harmful to raspljerries, 

 but does not appear to have been called attention to by economic 

 entomologists in this country. Fenoulhet (1) has, however, recently 

 w^orked out its life-liistory. It not only attacks the raspberry but 

 also the strawberry, as shown by J'enoulhet. Amongst its other food 

 plants may be mentioned the l)ramble and roses. 



It is closely related to the Apple Blossom Weevil, l)ut differs 

 much in colour. 



During the summer of 190(] very conside]-al)le damage ^as done 

 to the strawberry plants at Wye, and later at Penn in Buckingham- 

 shire by this beetle. 



Tlie damage done is twofold : first, there is a loss in the yield 

 of fruit ; and, secondly, the young shoots of the plant are checked. 



Mr. Bickham informs me he has this beetle in his beds in 

 Herefordshire. 



Life-History and Habits. 



The weevils are very busy aljout the latter half of May, when the 

 blossoms are bursting into flower. It may be seen running iip the 

 leaf and flower stems, and making its way to the flower Inids. The 

 weevil deposits its egg in the closed blossom ; it then 

 descends the fiow^er stem to about i inch below the l)ud, 

 where it forces its rostrum into the delicate strig, severing 

 the vascular bundles. 



The weevil treats numerous other buds in a similar 

 manner, also descending to the base of the stem, where it 

 punctures the delicate young leaves and stems situated ANTHuNiljins. 

 there, suckincj out the plant iuice. {Ai>tfwnonii>s 



nibl). (X 3.) 



The buds attacked by the weevil soon show they have 

 been tampered with, for in about two hours they droop from aljo^e the 

 puncture. In a day or so, the l)ud will either fall to the ground or 

 remain on the flower stem in a shrivelled and brown condition. Similar 

 results are noticeable in both the strawberry and raspberry. 



At the expiration of a month the bud will be found to contain a 

 footless grub, which pupates in the cavity it has formed. It remains 

 in this stage from seven to eight days, at the end of this period a 

 second generation of adult weevils appears. 



This generation of weevils, though the season is too advanced for 



