page_title: Hypera postica
section_title: Life cycle
hierarchical_section_title: Hypera postica / Life cycle
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Larve du phytonome de la luzerne, Hypera postica
context_page_description: Hypera postica, commonly known as the alfalfa weevil, is a species of beetle in the superfamily Curculionoidea; it can be found in alfalfa fields throughout Europe. Considered a destructive threat to alfalfa production in North America, several accidental introductions have been successfully countered though the use of a variety of biological control species.
context_section_description: In Illinois, some eggs are laid in the late fall or the winter, when weather conditions permit. Adults also overwinter and become increasingly active in March and April. Eggs are laid in batches of up to 25 inside alfalfa stems. The larvae feed for three or four weeks, moulting three times, before pupating in the cocoons they make. They emerge as adults in about one or two weeks. After feeding for a week or two, they may experience aestivation during the remainder of the summer, in which they demonstrate a dampening of their metabolic, respiratory and nervous system activities. In fall, the adults hide in the crowns of alfalfa plants or move onto coarse vegetation in ditches or by fences or in nearby woodland.
caption: Larva
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