6 BULLETIN 922, IT. S. DEPAETMEXT OE AGRICULTURE. 
FOOD PLANTS AND INJURY. 
The food plants in Europe are listed as Trifolium (clover) and 
Medicayo sativa (lucerne, alfalfa). In this country all kinds of 
clovers, including Trifolium prate use, T. incarnaium, T. Tiylridum, 
and T. repens are eaten, as well as alfalfa and sweet clover ( Melilitus 
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. TT. 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, bu^t 
since that time it has been controlled largely by an epidemic fimgous 
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. 4.6) 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 larva? had dropped to the ground. 
LIFE HISTORY. 
LIFE CYCLE. 
The life history of this species was first studied in the United 
States by Kiley (6, p. 171-179) in 1882, and Folsom's paper on clover 
insects in 1909 (3, 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 cycle is as follows : 
