297. Black Vine Weevil

This is one of those species that when you go to find some interesting and fun facts, you are met with a wall of pages on how best to get rid of it.  It seems that this is justified in North America.  Otiorhynchus sulcatus was first officially reported from Connecticut in 1910, there are suspicions that it has been around since the 1830's, transported from Europe on plant material. 

The wing coverings, or elytra are fused together, so the adults can't fly. They  are nocturnal and spend the days under leaf litter and detritus, until they begin to roam after dark. There are only females in the population! 


Black vine weevils have been recorded on over a 100 host plants, commonly on azaleas, rhododendrons, yew, hemlock, cranberries....in other words a real bugger in nurseries, seed orchards and farms. The damage from the adults is mostly cosmetic consisting of nibbles on the greenery and it is the larvae that cause the real damage by eating the roots. They can cause considerable damage before they are discovered. 

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