The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-02
rnE suRAwnERnY nEETLE
What the Department. Of Agriculture
Saws About THIS Pest


than the strawberry beetle. o. weevil,
and well il may be, for all are con-
cerned. Congressman Thomas. I'm keep
ing with his characteristic energy and
interest for the people Of his section.
as soon as he was informed as to the
damage being done by b weevii. ask
ed the department Of agriculture 10
send down an expert entomolosist, In
the hope that some remedy could be
devised that would help h present
crop. but it seems improbable at this
late stage. The thing TO do is to pre-
pare for their attack In the future. The
letter from the department to- Mr.
Thomas il as follows:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary,
Washington. II. C.
April s, 1905.
y. G.
Sir: | am in receipt of your letter OF
/ April q with enclosure. as also your
telegram of today which | have an
swered.
In regard to the expediency of send
ing an expert from the Bureau of En-
tomology. | learn, from the chief OF
, that bureau. that the strawberry wee
vii ~(anthonomus signatusl, which is
causing such injury in your state has
| been so thoroughly studied as regards
its life economy that little can he done
at this time in the season. The insect
accomplishes its principal work II two
or three weeks. at the most, and 1t
does not yield TO ordinary insecticides.
This matter is fully explained in Cir
cular No. 21. Il copy Of which is enclos-
E. ed. The strawberry growers i'll The
vicinity of Washington, both in Nir-
einia and Maryland, experienced great
, trouble with this insect several years
ago. but by the advice of the Bureau
| of Entomology have discontinued the
exclusive cultivation of staminate va
rieties of plants. and by following the
! directions for c%ultivating pistillate
plants. rs mentioned on page : of the
circular, the losses which are incurred
at the present time are not serious.
For another season / would earnestly
advise the employment Of tran crops,
using the earliest varieties that can
he obtained For the protection Of later
maturing berries. The state entomol-
ogist of North Carolina is thoroughly
familiar With this insect, and there S
very little about its l;fe history that
has nor been investigated.
| Very respectfully,
w. N. Hays, Acting Secretary.
In order that our trucking friends
Ray know that the entomoiosists of
the {. $. department are up TO their
work, we publish below some extracts
from the circular referred to above,
giving a description of the weevil,
their habits, and also advising meal
of protecting the berries against them,
us well as advising the kinds of ber-
ries to grow. The circular reads as
follows:
TURE OF ATTACK.
Just before the blossoms Of the
strawberry expand they are sometimes
) attacked by al insect which sever
them from the steam. This insect is
? the strawberry weevil, a minute snOut.
beetle, and the severing of the bud is
accomplished by the female in the pro-
cess OF OvipOsition. The weevil first
deposits an egg in the bud and theI
r%unctures Or cuts the stem below it IL
such that in a few days il
drops to the ground. Within the sew.
cred bud tie larva Matched from thi:
egg develops, and transforms to pupa
and afterwards to beetle.
The adult of the strawberry weevi
measures only a tenth of an inch il
Lew 9TH nd =, .nx,Ia x,-:<I - 1-rl4
slightly curved snout, about half al
long as the body to which are attached
its Jointed %antennae. The color 81
this insect varies from nearly black t.
dull red, and each eIytron or wing
cover is Ornamented just behind Iii
middle with Il dark spot surrounded
: with whitish pubescence.
The presence of the weevil in straw
berry beds is manifested almost en-
tirely by the decreased number OF bios
SONS and by the severed buds an,
stems, the diminutive size of tue bee
tie protecting it from observation. No
is the destruction of the buds likely II
to be noticed until some time after thu
insect has been at work. Hence /
happens that injury ever over Wild
areas is often attributed to haii, frost
or to some other cause than the RICH
one. appearing, as the insect so Of
ten does, in great numbers almost from
the outset, its injuries are severe ever
II when only IL moderate per
oentace of a crop is lost, because tn
blossoms chiefly injured are the earl
lest. and consequently the shortage j
/ largely in he early fruit, or that whicI
1 would have commanded the highes
market price.
, FOOD PLANTS AND RAVAGES.
Fortunately the weevil is restricts
: 10 the staDLnate varieties of the straw
! berry and TO such pistiilate varieties ii
> are imperfect and furnish "A consider
; able quantity of pollen, since II is thi
I substance that constitutes the chic
food supply OF both larvae and adult,