Show Early Hay Cutting Controls Weevil In Alfalfa Fields The cheapest and most effective method to control the alfalfa weevil wee wee- weevil vil is to cut the first crop of alfalfa alfalfa al alfalfa al- al falfa when it is In tenth one-tenth bloom and cut the second crop 35 to 40 days after the first cutting This controls the weevil for the following following following follow follow- ing year This practice reduces to a minimum minimum minimum mini mini- mum the number of adult weevils that live over to the following year It is these thes over wintering weevils that lay the eggs which hatch into the hungry green 1 worms that do the damage The hatched early-hatched worms all fall victims to the weevil parasite which lays las its eggs in the worms Later in the season the parasite misses a few worms and unless something else happens to destroy I I I them they go through the me cocoon stage and emerge as beetles which live until the next year Cutting and harvesting the hay checks the growth of the weevils In the worm stage so that but very few of them spin cocoons Those worms that started in the cocoon stage just before the hay was cut are killed by the heat of the sun when their shade is taken away i iI If the hay is cut early all except I two or three per cent of the worms that have started spinning cocoons cocoons cocoons co co- co- co coons will vill die because they contain contaIn contain con con- tain parasite eggs The small percentage percentage percentage per per- escaping the parasite will have only started their cocoons the last week before the hay Is cut and the sun will kill th them m. m Now consider what happens when cutting cutting- of the first crop is delayed one or two weeks The parasite is less effective eight or orten orten orten ten per cent of of the worms escape it and these are given enough time tim to develop into beetles and crawl away so that heat of the sun has no effect o on them when the hay is cut As a result a heavy crop of weevil Is assured the following year The same principles apply to these the se second ond crop although there is no damage in fact worms are hardly hard hard- hardly ly to be found This crop must be cut early or enough weevils will mature to over-balance over the j good effects of cutting the first crop early The program of weevil weevil weevil wee wee- vil control places no restriction upon the handling of the third crop Another advantage of early cutting is improved quality of hay It may mean less pounds of hay j per acre from the first two crops 11 but in feeding value it means more pounds of butterfat beef or lamb Iamb Iambi I Iper j per acre This early cutting must be practiced practiced practiced every year whether the hay shows weevil or not It takes only two female weevils per square foot to lay eggs to produce enough worms to riddle that square foot of hay There are usually enough weevils weevils weevils wee wee- vils in Utah fields to propagate a damaging number for the following following fol- fol lowing year if they are given a chance |