A complex of invasive weevils has
recently undergone a population eruption in the upper Great Lakes region. Adult and larval ecology is being examined in the Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Adult
weevils are folivores, feeding primarily on the leaf
margins of sugar maple, ironwood, and raspberry. Weekly adult censuses
indicated the presence of four species: Phyllobius
oblongus, Polydrusus
sericeus, Sciaphilis
asperatus, and Barypeithes
pellucidus. Phyllobius
oblongus were the most common; weekly sweep net
samples captured from 0 to 79 adults. Polydrusus
sericeus was less common than P. oblongus, but still much more abundant than S. asperatus or B. pellucidus.
Adult weevil populations peaked in June, and nearly all adults were gone by
mid-July. Larvae are rhizophagous, and feed primarily
on fine (i.e., <1 mm diameter) roots.
Significanly more larvae occur in the upper 15
cm of soil, which coincides with the greatest amount of fine root biomass. The
highest larval mortality occurred in the spring. Studies are underway to
determine the effects of larval and adult feeding on seedling growth and fine
root dynamics in this northern hardwood ecosystem.