Show ALFALFA WEEVIL REPORTED TO HAVE REACHED MOAB several moab farmers report that an insect believed to be the alfalfa weevil has made its appearance in their hay fields while the bug has not been positively identified it Is stated that there Is little doubt of its being the weevil this pest tor for a number of years has been prevalent in the neighboring counties of emery carbon and uintah and in colorado but up to the present time grand county had been free of it the adult weevil is a brown beetle about a quarter of an inch long with a dark stripe down its back and a beak on its head it lives during the winter in the ground and on rubbish and comes out in the warm weather to breed and lay eggs the insect bores a neat little hole in the alfalfa stem and carefully puts its eggs inside the hole where they are not likely to be disturbed these holes look like tiny spots on the stem and they may be anywhere from the ground up the eggs are very small bright lemon yellow when fresh laid and becoming a dirty brown as they come closer to hatching when the larva or weevil worm first hatches it is about one eighteenth of an inch long and is hard to see unless it moves its little black head soon after hatching the weevil moves out of the hole and up to the bud on the tip of the stem and starts eating in head first soon they get too large to stay hidden and they move around the plant after getting all they want to eat they drop off to spin cocoons and change over into an adult weevil these adults fly about a little during the summer and fall fail and then hide themselves away during the winter to come out and lay their eggs the next spring the easiest method of controlling the alfalfa weevil is said to be this after all te he weevil are hatched out or as near all as possible mow the alfalfa as close to the ground as you can rake the hay clean and haul it oft off the field then harrow or drag until matil you have a good dry mulch all over the field and no green in sight the weevil larvae cannot travel very fery far in dry dust nor live very long on dry ground when the hot sun shines on them directly an alfalfa field that starts to look white over the top is very probably being damaged severely by the weevil experts say |