Show ALFALFA WEEVIL ITC LIFE 1113 HISTORY TORY by W W OWENS U A C service editors note hotoi this la is tho the first of a series of seven articles prepared by mr air owens tor for this payer paper ou on weevil control the alie green worm with a black head which eats tho tha alfalfa leavoy leavea la is ono one stage at 0 the alfalfa weevil which overy bariner knows tho the on tiro tire life ot at tho the individual weevil usually acovera twelve months and it Is only in III the worm or larval stag 0 for one month but it la is at this time it does damage it Is necessary to know where the weevil la Is and what it does doea th tho 0 other 11 mouths months of its ita affo in order to find the weakest spot at which to strike to destroy it the worm lives but one month during tho the spring season varying with altitude from may alay through june some earlier some later but tile the average worm Is considered hore here at tho the end of a month it IL has grown from a tiny worm ono one atwon bieth of at an inch filch long lone to its mature size alze chree of an inch long it drops down to tho ground curla curia up and splits itself a white 1 1 e k 0 w web eb called ed a cocoon tito tho cocoon til la is alfalfa often attached tp to ft a c curled u r e d la up p alfalfa leaf which may readily bo be found by li hunting tintIng in tho the stubble the weevil stays in the cocoon stage tor for about two weeks during which time it gradually changes from a green worm into a dark brown beetle three sixteenths ot of an inch long this beetle crawls around and is also able to fly it can be found by searching la in tho the stubble or it abundant by looking on the bottom ot of the hayrack just litter alter a load ot of the second crop has hag been taken oft the adult never eata aati enough alfalfa to do noticeable damage it lives over until the next year spending tho the wanter close to tho the ground under trash fraeli and in crevices in april it t lays eggs in the stems of the growing alfalfa aleut elot eight eggs are depool deported ted in each hole and one weevil averages boo eggs these yellow egge may bep found by splitting open an alfalfa stem which has been punctured the eggs hatch out into small gormill cornin in about two and the now born weevil starts on its ta year of life next article control au andl individual pr problem lo blem |