Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-08-10
ALARMING SPREAD OF
The ALFALFA WEEV|L

"eeFH is spreading in a way which
makes it possible that sooner o,
later every section of the countr,
viii have to consider the problem o.
guarding against this pest. During
the twelve years since the weeyi
was introduced into America it has
been confined to the limits of the
Great Basin of the West, but it has
been found this year by the Bureau
of Entomology at Malta, McCammon
Pocatello and Blackfoot, Idaho, all
well within the Snake River drain
age system, and at Duchesne. Utah,
in the Colorado River system, which,
ike that of the Snake, slopes to
the Pacific. Within the Great Basin
the weeyil has spread as far south
as Richfield into the alfalfa fields
OF central Utah. The insect. in
spreading across the continental di-
vide, Department entomologists say,
Is to be regarded merely as passing
a convenient landmark rather than
as /surmounting barrier, for ex-
perience has not shown that it
spreads faster along rivers than
across mountain ranges. Nevertheless
1t is now many miles nearer to
important alfalfa7growing districts
which have hitherto felt safe from
its attack.
INSCRIPTION OF WEEVIL.
A description of the alfalfa vice.
vii and methods of combating it's
ravages are contained in a new
publication of the U. S. Department |
of Agriculture, Farmers Bulletin TAI. |
The spread of the pest has, as a |
matter of fact, been slower than
was at one time feared, but its prog
ress has been steady. In Utah and
IN small portions of Idaho and Wy
oming, where it now exists, it has
at times a loss of so per
sent of the first cutting of alfalfa
Ind total loss of the second cut
ing.
In order that farmers in these
sections in which the weevil has
lot yet appeared may be able tol
ecognize the pest and to protect
heir crops from it, the bulletin all
eady mentioned contains details Of
is habits and of its appearance in
he various life stages. The weevil
most easily discovered in the
orm Of the full grown larva. 1t IS e
hen green worm-like creature one-I
ourth of an inch long with a black
cad and a faint white stripe down
he middle of the back. 1t feeds up
u the leaves of alfalfa mainly dur
lg late May, June and early July
nd may be found by sweeping the
BPS of the plants with am insect
ct or by looking for the notches in
le leaves where it has fed When n
lie larvae are numerous they des- S
oy most of the tender growth and hi
ause the tops to appear white, max il
g the field look as if frostbitten 81
hen viewed from a distance. N
The adult insect is an oval, brown If
'etle three-sixteenths of an inch in
ng with a prominent snout. Its
'lor frequently is nearly black. h,
his beetle is harder to discoyert Il,
an the larva, but, on the other c,
md, it is present in the field the Iip
hole year around. In winter it can til
found by digging about the crowns
d roots of alfalfa plants. wi
CONTROL MEASURES. de
The alfalfa weevil does not hiber- M
tie definitely. When the weather fis
cool the adults are quiet, but with ed
rmer temperatures they quickly re- We
me their activities. Egg laying be- of
Is in early spring and is usually of
led by June 10. One efficacious int
thod of controlling the pest, there col
e. Is 10 oestroy the eggs by am
'turing the first crop up to that
e. A similar result may be OBJ sp,
ned by cutting the alfalfa green so,
feeding it as a soiling crop. sv
this is not done the larvae hatch an,
large numbers about the last ave
* of May or earlier and eat the lie,
lfa leaves SO rapidly that the dai
1T is unable to outgrow the in lar,
r. After, the field Is cut the per
ae which have been feeding up TIL;
the first crop gather upon thei the
S Of the stubble and frequently con
sumo all of the second crop. By que
time most of the insects hayei
pleted their growing period and s
: gone into the pupal or resting ind,
e. The later growth Of the crop, flm,
efore, does not suffer from them. anv
} protect the crop pasturing, as due
been said. is effective IN the an
? part of the season. The field his
Id be divided into two or three shee
and each lot should be pas nun