Jnseel.^, efc. Injurious lo the Sfrairbern/. 



461 



THE BLACK ANTHONOMUS. 



(^.liil lioiiDiii IIS riih'i, Ilcrliat. ). 



This small weevil is in some seasons (jiiite luirmfnl to rasiilierries, 

 bnt does not appear to have lieeu called attention to liy economic 

 entnmologists in tliis eonntry. Eeninilhet (1) lias, however, recently 

 worked out its life-liistdry. It not only attacks the raspherry lint 

 also the stra«-berry, as shov.'ii oy Fenoulliet. Amongst its other fuod 

 plants may lie mentioned the liramhle and roses. 



It is closely related to the Apple I'dossom "\Vee\-il, Imt dilTers 

 nmch in colonr. 



I)uring the summer of I'.-ltKi A-yry considei'ahle damage was done 

 to the strawberry plants at AVye, and later at I'enn in Buckingham- 

 shire by this lieetle. 



The damage done is twnhild: tirst, there is a loss in the yield 

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



i\Ir. Bickham informs me he has this fjeelle in his beds in 

 Herefordshire. 



Life-History and llAnrrs. 



The weevils are very busy about the latter half of I\lay, -when the 

 blossoms are bursting into fhiwer. It niay lie seen running up the 

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

 weevil deposits its egg iu (he closed blossom; it then 

 descends the flower stem to aljout J, inch below the bud, 

 where it forces its rostrum into the tlelicate strig, se\ering 

 the vascular bundles. 



The weevil treats unmemus other buds in a similar 

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

 punctures the delicate young lea^'es and stems sitnated 

 there, sucking out the plant juice. 



The buds attackeil by the weevil soon show they l]a\'e 

 been tampered A\ith, for in about twci hours they droop from above the 

 puncture. In a day or so, the bud will either fall to the ground or 

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

 results are noticeable in Ijotli the strawberry and raspberry. 



At the expiraticin of a month the bud A\'ill be found to contain a 

 footless grul), ^vhich 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 adnlt wee\ils a]ipears. 



This generaiion of A"\'eevils, though the season is too advanced for 



* 



BLAriv 

 AXTIInNii^ruy. 

 (Anthnun,nn>: 



rnhi). (X :;.) 



