The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1916-08-17
ALFALFA WEEWL REACHES
IDAHO IRRIGATION DISTRICT

Washington, u. G. Aug. i6.-Th,
alfalfa wecvil Is spreading In a wa!
which makes II possible that sooner
or later every section OF the countr,
will have to consider the problem o
guarding against this pest. Durlnr
the 2 years since the weevil was in
troduced into America Il has been cor
fined to the limits of the Great Basin
of the West. but Il has been found
this year by the bureau of entomolo.
gy at Malta, McCammon. Pocatello
and Blackfoot, Idaho. all we'll with
In the Snake river drainage system
and at Duohesne. Utah. in the Colo
RADIO river system, which. like that
OF the Snake. slopes TO the Pacific.
within the Great Basin the weovil
has spread as far south as Richfield
into the alfalfa fields OF Central
Utah
The insect. In spreading across the
continental divide. department ento-
mologists say. Is to be regarded mere
ly as passing n convenient landmark
rather than as surmounting bar
rlor. for experience has not shown
that II spreads faster along rivers
than across mountain ranges. Never
theless. II Is now miles nearer TO Inn
portant alfalfa growing districts.
which have hitherto felt safe from It's
attack.
A description OF the alfalfa weevil
and methods OF combating It's raw
ages are contained in n new publica-
tion OF the United States department
OF agriculture, Farmers Bulletin TAI.
In Utah and in small portions OF Ida
no and Wyoming, where II now ex-
lists, II has caused at times a loss OF
so per cent OF the first cutting OF
alfalfa and a total loss OF the second
cutting.
In order that farmers In those sec
tions In which the weevil has not yet
appeared may be able TO recognize
the pest and to protect their crops
from II, the bulletin contains details
OF its habits and OF It's appearance in
the various life stages. The weeyil
is discovered most easily In the form
OF the full grown larya. IL is then
n green worlike creature, one
fourth OF an inch long with a black
head and a faint white stripe down
the middle OF the back. II feeds
upon the leaves OF alfalfa mainly dur
Ing late May. June and early July
and may be found by sweeping the
tops OF the plants with in insect net
DIT by looking for the notches In the
leaves where II has fed. When the
larvae are numerous they destroy |
most of the tender growth and cause
he tops to appear white, making the
Held look as II frostbitten, when
giewed from a distance.
The adult insect is an oval brown
Dettel thee-sixteenths OF an inch
ong with a prominent snout. It's
'olor frequently is nearly black. This
,eetle is harder TO discover than the
arva. but, on the other hand. II is
,reset in the field the whole year
lround. In winter IL can be found by
ligging about the crowns and roots
Il alfalfa plants.
The alfalfa weeyll does not hiber-
late definitely. When the weather
5 cool the adults are quiet, but with
temperatures they quickly
esume their activities Egg-laying
'egins in early Spring and is usually
nded by June 10. One efficacious
nethod OF controlling the pest. there
ore, is to destroy the eggs by pas
uring the first crop up TO that time
! similar result may be obtained by
utting the alfalfa green and feeding
! as a soiling crop.
IL this is not done the larvae hatch
J large numbers about the last week
May or earlier and eat the alfalfa
,ayes so rapidly that the plant is un-
BILE to outgrow the injury, To pro-
ct the crop, pasturing, as has been
aid, is effective in the early part of
ie season.
If the weeyils are not killed early
! the year they may be destroyed
iter the first crop has been removed
y getting rid of all the vegetation
! the field, crushing the clods and
ling the cracks so as to expose the
ltire surface to the sun. This is
sst done by covering the field with