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Beetles (Turf & Ornamental)
Latin Name: Otiorhynchus ovatus
Common Name: Strawberry root weevil
Other Names: Strawberry crown girdler
Pest Details
Origin:
It is native to Europe but now found throughout North America, and is a serious agricultural pest in the Pacific Northwest.
Biology:
This is another common species of the many kinds of “root” weevils in North America, and it feeds on many kinds of herbaceous plants but is a serious pest of strawberries. Larvae live in the soil feeding on the roots of plants while the adults feed on the leaves, stems, and berries. They overwinter as either an adult or a pupa in the soil, the adults emerging in late spring to early summer. Females deposit their eggs on the soil and the larvae burrow in to feed on the roots.
Identification:
The adult beetle is a shiny dark brown to black, about ¼ inch long, and has rows of distinct pits or punctures running lengthwise on its thorax and wing covers.
Latin Name: Pseudocneorhinus bifasciatus
Common Name: Two-banded Japanese weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
Native to eastern Asia and the Orient, but introduced as early as 1914 in Pennsylvania, and it now occurs and is established along the east coast of the U.S.
Biology:
In the U.S. the beetles reproduce without males, which are not found in this country. They may overwinter in any stage, becoming active again in the spring and egg laying occurs from late spring through early fall. The female creates a small chamber by folding over a margin of a leaf and clamping it together, depositing a few eggs in the chamber. When the eggs hatch the larvae drop to the soil and feed on the roots, with densities as high as 150 larvae per square foot and from 3 to 9 inches deep in the soil. There will normally be 1 generation per year. They are known to feed on over 100 varieties of plants, with roses being a preferred host, but also
Latin Name: Agrilus bilineatus
Common Name: Two-lined chestnut borer
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native species in eastern North America.
Biology:
While this beetle was named for its previous status as a pest of chestnut trees, it now attacks primarily oaks, and will feed on many oak species in the eastern half of North America. Trees that are under stress from other factors, such as defoliation by caterpillars, are at particular risk. Adult beetles are active from spring to summer and females fly to upper branches to feed on foliage prior to moving back to major branches and trunks, where the female then deposits eggs in crevices in the bark. The larvae bore into the tree to feed in the cambium layers, potentially girdling the tree and cutting off nutrient and water flow.
Identification:
Trees infested with the beetle will show wilted leaves on outer branches early in the season. The leaves eventually
Latin Name: Chrysomela interrupta
Common Name: Willow leaf beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native beetle in North America, and is found from Alaska south to California and east into much of the rest of the U.S. and Canada.
Biology:
This is one of several species of leaf beetles in this genus. Willow is the favored host plant, but they also feed on cottonwood, alder, and other trees. The adult beetles overwinter on the bark or under materials on the ground and emerge in early spring. Eggs are laid and the larvae feed through the spring months, usually in clusters of many young larvae and on the undersides of the leaves, moving apart as they get older. Heavy feeding will cause the leaf to be skeletonized and to fall off the tree. Adult beetles also feed on the leaves. The larvae can emit a foul smelling fluid from glands along the sides of the body when they are disturbed, and this appears to repel most predators.