October. 1929] WHITE PINK ^^T■:EVIL 9 



Weevils leaving hibernation in the spring appear considerably darker 

 than they were on emerging in the fall. Some of their scales have been 

 lost or discolored. 



EARLY ACTIVITIES OF THE ADULT 



Aside from the more important damage done by the larvae, the adults 

 infiict considerable injury to the tree bj' chewing broad cavities in the 

 new buds of the leader. In a few cases eggs hsLve been found in some of 

 these feeding cavities. 



The weevil chews a small circular hole through the bark and cambium 

 and sometimes slightly into the wood parenchyma. The feeding punc- 

 tures ma.v extend a short distance into the bark or may extend through 

 the bark to include the cambium. The weevils seem especiallj^ fond of 

 cambium tissue. The canity made b\' the wee\"il is much wider basaily 

 (Fig. 1) because of its acti\'ity in securing as much cambium as possible 

 from one feeding puncture. While feeding, the weevil is constantly turn- 

 ing its head in order to use the natural curve of its beak to obtain the 

 cambium tissue. The structure of the head makes it possible for the wee- 

 vil to feed with little movement of the body. An hour or more may be 

 spent in making one feeding puncture. There is no marked diilerence be- 

 tween the cavities made by the male and female. 



Eggs maj' be found in cavities that enter the bark for only a short dis- 

 tance. Usually, however, they are placed in the deeper cavities, which 

 provide ample room for one or more eggs. Earl}^ in the season the punc- 

 tures are usually found near the terminal buds, but as the season progress- 

 es the eggs are laid further down in the leader. Xo observation has been 

 made to ascertain if the female oviposits in cavities made by the male. 



The adults seem able to live without food for only a short time. Thus. 

 20 weevils were placed without food in a muslin covered cage on June 29, 

 1928. Nineteen were dead July 2. The last one died July 3. 



MATING 



Mating of the weevils takes place in the spring following emergence 

 from the infested leader, and not in the fall. Shortly after their appear- 

 ance in the spring and up until their disappearance in July, the weevils 

 are constantly found in copula. Few single indi\'iduals are present during 

 this period. 



Apparentlj' the female does not have to be fertilized more than once 

 in the season in order to continue laj'ing fertile eggs. This was brought 

 out in the course of an experiment to determine the number of eggs laid 

 by a single female. In several instances the male of the original pair died 

 earl}' in the season and the female continued to lay fertile eggs through- 

 out the remainder of the oviposition period. In two instances the males 

 died sometime between IMaj- 8, 1928, when thej^ were first introduced, and 

 June 11, when the leaders were removed in order to count the eggs. 



