The Apple-Blossom Weevil. 



205 



- Description of the Weevil. • 



The apple-blossom weevil is a very small creature, only about 

 one-fourth of an inch long, and not the eighth of an inch 

 across its body. Its body is usually reddish, or chestnut brown, 

 in colour, and covered with down, or pubescence, of a greyish 

 hue; but some specimens are almost piceous. The wing-cases 

 have pale marks upon them below the middle, and there is a 

 conspicuous white mark, or scutellum, at their base ; the 

 legs are reddish ; the thighs of the anterior, or first, pair are 

 large, and furnished with a formidable tooth on each ; and 

 the teeth, or tarsi, are darker coloured. The rostrum, or 

 snout, is the most remarkable feature, being half as long 

 as the body ; it is slightly curved, with antennae near its 

 extremity, and furnished with oval clubs having four joints. 



Like other insects of the same family, the apple - blossom 

 weevil falls down when disturbed, tucks in its snout and legs, 

 and remains motionless, feigning death until the danger has 

 passed. 



Its Life History. 



In the first warm days of spring the weevil issues from its 

 winter retreat, w^hich is usually under the bark of trees, or 

 among lichens and mosses upon the branches, or under 

 stones, grass, leaves, and rubbish lying under trees. Curtis 

 and Schmidberger consider that the females seldom use their 

 wings, but that the males fly freely. Dr. Henneguy, to 

 w^hom a special mission was entrusted by the P>ench Minister 

 of Agriculture to fully investigate the habits of this insect in 

 Brittany, states that both sexes fly easily, and with equal 

 frequency.* 



Either by flying, or by crawling, the female finds her way 

 to the blossom-buds of apple and pear trees, bores a hole with 

 her snout, places one egg within each bud, and carefully 

 closes up the aperture. This is the mode of oviposition 

 described by Curtis and other economic entomologists. M. 

 Petit, Departmental Professor of Agriculture in Morbihan, 

 who has studied this insect, states, however, that the female 



*" Rapport sur Diistoire natiirelle de raiithonojiie dn po/iunijr, et sur les moyens 

 proposes pour sa destruction, par le Dr. F. Henneguy. Bulletin du Ministere de 

 r Agriculture. France, No. 8, Decembre 1891. 



