Strawberry root weevil

Latin name: Otiorhynchus ovatus (Linnaeus)
French name: Charançon de la racine du fraisier
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae

Description

Distribution

Eastern Canada

Eastern Canada and eastern United States

Damage, symptoms and biology

The insect overwinters in both the adult and larval stages, with adults hibernating in debris on the ground and larvae in the soil. The adult is dark brown and about 6 mm long and has a blunt snout. The adults feed mostly on the foliage of the host plant whereas the larvae feed on the roots. Males are unknown and the females reproduce without mating. The larva has a light brown head, is white, legless, and about 13 mm long when full-grown. The larvae begin to feed after the weather warms in the spring. Development is complete by midsummer and adults emerge through to early fall.

Other information

The adults are unable to fly and so they crawl over the ground, sometimes in large numbers, when dispersing to find new hosts. They are often seen on the ground and enter buildings where they become a nuisance. They will not, however, feed on household articles, clothing or human foodstuffs.

Canadian Forest Service Publications

Strawberry root weevil

Diet and feeding behaviour

Root-feeding : Feeds on the roots of plants.
- Geophilous: Lives in or on the ground, or frequently comes into contact with it.

Information on host(s)

The strawberry root weevil is a native insect and common in eastern Canada and the eastern United States. It is primarily a pest of strawberry and related plants but the larvae also cause severe injury to the roots of evergreens, particularly seedlings and nursery stock. The spruces, eastern hemlock, and yews are most commonly attacked.