December, ’24] 
CAMPBELL: ANTHONOMUS IN PEPPERS 
647 
According to Walker, 2 oviposition occurs in small buds, blossoms and 
young fruit. Whether or not the females select blossoms or pods of a 
certain stage could not be determined by the writer, but more immature 
than mature pods were infested and damaged. Infestation occurred in 
even the smallest peppers, including those no bigger than the end of 
one’s little finger. When the larger pods become infested, no apparent 
damage is done, the peppers mature and are still marketable, but an 
infestation in small pods checks growth and causes them to be deformed 
and almost invariably unfit for market. The larvae may feed and de¬ 
velop in the pepper wall, but are more often found in the seed cluster. 
The feeding tunnel is surrounded with brownish frass, and pupation 
takes place within a cell formed from this material. The brownish 
masses of frass surrounding the larval tunnels and pupal cells present an 
unsightly appearance when the pepper is opened. Decay usually be¬ 
gins around these masses, so that the middle of the pepper may have a 
number of decayed spots, or may be a mass of decay. 
Although feeding is light, it is quite apparent that the presence of the 
insect in the smaller pods causes malformation of the peppers, checks 
growth, and causes them to turn red prematurely. 
On December 4, 1923, an examination of peppers on 25 plants in 
various parts of the field at La Habra showed that of the immature 
peppers 73 per cent were infested, while of the mature peppers only 20 
per cent were damaged. By December 24, however, an examination 
showed 100 per cent infestation. The number of insects in these pods is 
shown in the following table. 
Table I.— Number per Pod of Different Stages of the Pepper Weevil Found 
in Bell Peppers at La Habra, Calif., December 24, 1923 
Larvae 
Max. 13 
Min. 1 
Ave. 3.6 
Pupae 
Max. 10 
Min. 0 
Ave. 1.6 
Adults 
Max. 3 
Min. 0 
Ave. .45 
Total Number, 
all stages 
23 
1 
5.75 
On January 7, 1924, an examination of old peppers still on the plants 
at La Habra showed, for 10 pods taken at random, a total of 11 adults, 2 
pupae, and 1 larva, while by January 12, living adults were found in 
many pods, but only a few pupae and no larvae. By this time plant 
growth had entirely stopped, and all peppers were red and small. 
