6 BULLETIN 922, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



FOOD PLANTS AND INJURY. 



The food plants in Europe are listed as Trifoliuni (clover) and 

 Medicago sativa (lucerne, alfalfa). In this country all kinds of 

 clovers, including Trifolium pratense, T. incarnatum, m T. hybridum, 

 and T. repens are eaten, as well as alfalfa and sweet clover ( MelUitus 

 alba). Webster ' reported white clover being eaten in preference to 

 red in Ohio, but other observers, including the present writers, have 

 noted that red clover and alfalfa are more often chosen. Both 

 larvae and adults will feed on beans, and the adults have been 

 observed eating timothy, burdock, " soy bean, and the flowers of 

 goldenrod. W. H. Larrimer observed beetles feeding on corn 

 foliage at McFarland, Kans., August 10, 1915. 



In Europe this species has several times been reported as injurious locally, but 

 only for short periods. The earliest record I have found is Villa's statement at the 

 time of the outbreak in the region of Lombardy in 1868 when he says that Moretti 

 in a revised edition of Gene's publication in 1853 reports this species as injuring 

 clover and believes that this referred to a previous serious injury about 1834-35. * * * 

 In 1868 the species caused serious damage in Northern Italy so that a commission 

 was appointed to investigate the matter and published several papers giving recom- 

 mendations. Targione-Tozzetti in 1879 notes a severe outbreak in the region around 

 Florence. It was again injurious in the region of Florence in 1902-3. (Titus 7, p. 

 408.) 



The first record of the destructive work of this species in America 

 occurred at Barrington, Yates County, N. Y., in 1881 and 1882, but 

 since that time it has been controlled largely by an epidemic fungous 

 disease. The clover-leaf weevil has spread rapidly over the country, 

 and outbreaks have occurred repeatedly, but usually have been, 

 checked before serious damage was done. The most notable of 

 these late outbreaks occurred in Michigan and persisted for a year 

 or two before the fungus succeeded in checking the insect. In this 

 connection Pettit (5, p. Jj.6) records that cattle pastured on clover 

 at the time the larvae were being destroyed by this fungous disease 

 were made seriously ill, and so many complaints were received in 

 Michigan that it was advised that cattle be kept out of clover pas- 

 tures until the bodies of the dead larvae had dropped to the ground. 



LIFE HISTORY. 



LIFE CYCLE. 



The life history of this species was first studied in the United 

 States by Riley (6, p. 171-179) in 1882, and Folsom's paper on clover 

 insects in 1909 (8, p. 155-164) gives much additional information. 

 Numerous other writers have added notes on the distribution, habits, 

 and life history, and these have been drawn on by the authors. The 

 life cycle is one year according to observations made by the present 

 writers, which agrees with the results obtained by Folsom. Briefly, 

 the life cvcle is as follows : 



