Alfalfa Weevils Active Throughout Iowa

April 14, 2015
ICM News

By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology


Adult alfalfa weevils begin moving as soon as temperatures exceed 48°F and begin laying eggs in alfalfa. Alfalfa weevil eggs develop based on temperature, or accumulating degree days, and hatching can start around 200-300 degree days. Start scouting alfalfa fields south of Interstate 80 at 200 degree days and fields north of Interstate 80 at 250 degree days. Based on accumulated temperatures since January, weevils could be active throughout Iowa (Fig. 1).



Figure 1. Accumulated growing degree days (base 48°F) in Iowa from January 1 – April 14, 2015. Map courtesy of Iowa Environmental Mesonet, ISU Department of Agronomy.


This dynamic degree day map is updated daily. To more accurately time scouting efforts in April and May, use this website to generate up-to-date information for your area. Click on the “View Degree Day Map” button in the left corner of the page and then set the parameters for degree days to create a new map. Make sure to set the start date to January 1 of the current year and the end date to today; set base temperature to 48°F and ceiling temperature to 86°F.


Biology. Alfalfa weevil is an important defoliating pest in alfalfa. Heavy infestations can reduce tonnage and forage quality. Adults feed on plants, but typically the larvae cause the majority of plant injury. Female alfalfa weevils can lay 800-4,000 eggs in a lifetime and insert 5-20 at a time into alfalfa stems. Newly hatched larvae can be found feeding on terminal leaves, leaving newly expanded leaves skeletonized. Gradually maturing larvae (Photo 1) move down the plant and begin feeding between leaf veins. Peak larval activity occurs around 575 degree days. Often silken pupal cases are attached to leaves in the lower canopy or in leaf litter. The time it takes to reach the adult stage is dependent on temperature, but can take about eight weeks. Adults (Photo 2) eat along the leaf margin, leaving irregular notches. A heavily infested field will look frosted or silver (Photo 3).



Photo 1. Alfalfa weevil larvae have a dark head and pale green body with a white stripe down the back. Fully-grown larvae are about 5/16 inches long. Photo by Clemson Cooperative Extension Slide Series, www.ipmimages.org.



Photo 2. Alfalfa weevil adults have an elongated snout and elbowed antennae. Their wings and body are mottled or brown in color. Photo by Clemson University, ipmimages.org.



Photo 3. Heavily-defoliated alfalfa fields appear frosted from a distance. Photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, ipmimages.org.


Management. After reaching benchmark degree days (200 in southern Iowa and 250 in northern Iowa), use a sweep net to sample for adults and larvae. South-facing slopes warm up faster and may be a place to start sampling. After larvae are first collected in sweep nets, collect six alfalfa stems from 5 locations throughout the field. Take each stem and vigorously shake into a bucket to dislodge larvae from the plant. Small larvae can be difficult to separate from the plant and therefore careful plant inspection is also needed. Average the number of larvae per 30 stems and plant height to determine if the economic threshold is approaching (Table 1). Remember, cutting alfalfa is an effective management tool for alfalfa weevil larvae, and an insecticide application may be avoided if harvesting within a few days of reaching the economic threshold. For more information on how to interpret the table, click here.



Table 1. Economic threshold of alfalfa weevil, based on the average number of larvae in a 30-stem sample (Originally published by John Tooker, Penn State Extension.


 


Erin Hodgson is an associate professor of entomology with extension and research responsibilities; contact her at ewh@iastate.edu or by calling 515-294-2847.

Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on April 14, 2015. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.

Author: 

Erin Hodgson Professor

Dr. Erin Hodgson started working in the Department of Entomology, now the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology, at Iowa State University in 2009. She is a professor with extension and research responsibilities in corn and soybeans. She has a general background in integrated...