462 Insect Pests. 



them to do further damage to that year's crop, yet injure the young 

 shoots and leaves by puncturing them. 



At the end of the year the weevils hibernate in a similar manner 

 to the Apple Blossom Weevil. 



The beetle is unicolorous black, clothed with distinct and evenly 

 distributed but scanty greyish pubescence, which is closer on the breast 

 and thicker on the scutellum ; eyes prominent ; head with a depres- 

 sion on the forehead ; rostrum long and slightly curved, attached to 

 M-hich are the slender antennte. Thorax broader at its base than its 

 length, strongly narrowed in front and closely punctured elytra with 

 strongly punctured stris, with interstices slightly convexed. Legs 

 elongate and fairly slender, black, with knees and tarsi pitchy ; all 

 the femora with a small tooth. Claws of tarsi bifid. Length about 



\ inch. 



ISTatukal Enemies. 



Fenoulhet found on examining several of the buds containing 

 pupae that many of the latter had lost their insect-like form, and on 

 keeping them Ichneumon flies appeared in the place of the weevils. 



This natural enemy evidently serves as a partial check to the 

 increase of the weevil. 



Teeatment. 



Where the attack is on raspberries the beetle may be jarred off 

 as is done for the Easpberry Beetle. On strawberries it is more 

 difficult to deal with, and at present no suggestions can be made. 



Bbfbeence. 

 (1) Fenoulhet, Q. Journal S. E. Agricultural College, No 16, p. 105 (1907). 



THE SMALL STRAWBERRY FRUIT WEEVIL. 



{Exoniias araneiformis. Schrank.) 



In 1908 this small weevil was reported as doing much harm to 

 maturing strawberries at East Peckham, Kent. 



There are no records of it doing damage in our scanty economic 

 literature, but Fowler (1) refers to it as follows :—" Occasionally it 

 does damage by burrowing into strawberries ; locally abundant." 



The same insect was sent from St. Mary Cray, and it was also 

 found at work in my garden in the same year. 



The damage appears to be twofold. The strawberries sent me 

 from East Peckham were quite green, and the ^^'eevils had eateji 

 away irregular patches over the surface, quite spoiling them (Fig. 305). 



The attack I observed at Wye was different ; the ripe fruit was 



