558 The Insect and Allied Pests of the Hop. [oct., 



Clean cultivation, constant movement of the soil, and 

 trapping around the hills, &c, are the most satisfactory ways 

 of keeping these pests in check. Vaporite has been said to 

 destroy them, but in all experiments I have conducted, both 

 in the laboratory and field, it has had not the least effect, 

 although useful for other purposes. 



The Clay-coloured Weevil (Otiorhynchus picipes, Curtis). 



Complaints have frequently been made from all hop dis- 

 tricts of the damage done by Weevils. This damage is two- 

 fold : First the beetles, working at night, bite out pieces of 

 the bine from the tips downwards ; the result is that the whole 

 bine flags and dies. Secondly, the larvae feed on the roots 

 of the hops and eat them away, and may even tunnel into 

 the larger roots. Frequently sets are killed outright. The 

 Otiorhynchus beetles work at night and hide away during 

 the daytime, and consequently the culprits are often not 

 detected. This weevil has a very wide food list, attacking 

 raspberries and other fruit, pot plants, and roses. It works 

 in a similar manner on all plants, and occurs all over Britain. 

 Records of its damage to hops have been sent me from Kent, 

 Hampshire, and Worcester. 



Life-history and Habits. — The mature insect (PI. i, Fig. 6a) 

 varies very much in size ; some are no more than one-fourth of 

 an inch in length, others nearly one-third of an inch. The 

 general form is shown in the figure. In colour this weevil 

 varies according to age ; fresh specimens are light brown, with 

 darker spots and lines on the back, giving a tessellated 

 appearance. The wing-cases are united together, and there 

 are no wings. The legs are dull reddish-brown, but the feet 

 are black. On their under side the weevils are clay-coloured. 

 After a time they become covered with particles of soil, and 

 are then very difficult to detect when in or on the ground, 

 where they shelter during the day. Sometimes they have 

 been noticed to hide away during the daytime between the 

 bine and the poles or string. They fall from the plants at 

 once on being shaken, and lie upon their backs on the soil 

 feigning death. They appear mainly in May and June, and 

 occur in increased numbers during the summer, laying 

 their eggs in the ground. In a week or ten days the larvae 



