178 

 THE HICKORYNUT CURCULIO, Conotrachelus affinis Boh. 



This insect injures hickorynuts in very much the same man- 

 ner as the walnut curculio affects walnuts. As a rule the nuts 

 when attacked are a little further developed than is the case 

 with the walnuts, but the larvae appear and do their feeding 

 before the kernel begins to form. The infested nuts drop when 

 not more than two-thirds grown. The beetles seem to show a 

 preferance for the nuts of pignut hickory, and some of the other 

 less valuable varieties, but they also injure shellbark nuts con- 

 siderably. 



Superficially r the beetle bears a close resemblance to the 

 walnut curculio, the most noticeable difference being that the 

 broad band across the wing covers of the former are much 

 lighter, in some individuals being almost pure white. The size 

 and general structure of the two are very similar. 



Egg-laying begins near the last of June and extends over 

 a period of about four weeks. In 1906, oviposition had ceased 

 apparently on July 15th but in 1907, when the season was about 

 two weeks backward, egg production seemed to be at its height 

 on July 20th. The eggs are placed in small cavities which ex- 

 tend less than half way through the husk of the nut. In one 

 operation of egg-laying which was observed, the beetle spent 47 

 minutes in preparing a pocket for the egg, one minute in de- 

 positing the egg and 15 minutes in filling the space about the 

 egg with scrapings from the husk. The last part of the act was 

 performed after dark and was observed by the aid of a lantern. 

 The beetles seem especially active in the early dark of the even- 

 ing and it is probable that many of the eggs are deposited at 

 that time. 



The egg is oblong, eliptical in shape, surface smooth and 

 glossy and the color clear white, the embryo showing through 

 the shell. The dimensions of several specimens averaged; 

 length .04 inch, width .025 inch. One egg kept under obseva- 

 tion hatched in five days. 



The larvae are yellowish white with brown heads. In their 



