Pea Leaf Weevil

species: sitona lineata
common names: pea leaf weevil
hosts: beans, peas
notes:

Pea Leaf Weevil

Sitona lineata (Linnaeus)

A pest in the Lower Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island.

Vegetables attacked:

Bean, pea

Injury:

Adults chew crescent-shaped notches in the leaves; seedlings may be killed. Later, larva attack the roots and bacterial nodules on the roots.

Insect:

The adult is grey-brown, 2 mm long with a blunt snout. Larvae are legless and white with brown heads.

Life History:

There is one generation a year. Adults overwinter in field debris. They emerge in the early spring and feed on emerging seedlings. Eggs are deposited in the soil where larvae feed on the roots for about six weeks before pupating. Adults emerge in midsummer and feed until the fall.

Control:

Destroy field refuse and practice crop rotation. Insecticides should be applied in the spring when feeding on leaf margins is first observed.