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Description Adults are brownish black ¼ inch long weevils, larvae are ¼ inch long, fat, white, and legless with light brown heads.
Where they live They are found throughout the United States and Canada.
Their life cycle The adults overwinter in leaf litter, emerge in late spring and feed on the leaves. They lay eggs on the crowns of plants. The larvae feed on roots.
Plants they attack Strawberries, raspberries, tree fruit, and ornamentals.
Why they're a problem The larvae feed on roots, which cause plants to be small and stunted and makes your plants vulnerable to disease. The adults feed on leaves and flower stems, which reduces berry yields.
Organic damage control Don't replant strawberries in beds where they have grown before. These beetles can't fly, so go out at night and shake the adults off the plants and onto a white sheet; then destroy them. Cover a new planting with row covers until the plants flower; then remove the cover so blossoms can be pollinated. Parasitic nematodes (Hetero-rhabditis bacteriophora) will control larvae if applied in spring or late summer. Rove and ground beetles are the strawberry root weevil's natural predators.
