Small lucerne weevil

This weevil is a pest of canola, lucerne and pasture legumes. Adults can defoliate lucerne plants and cause serious damage to the cotyledons of subterranean clover pastures. Larvae chew or burrow into the taproots of lucerne which eventually kills the plant. Adults are grey with some brownish mottling, up to 10 mm long and do not fly. They typically feed at night, hiding in the soil during by day. Larvae are creamy white, legless grubs, growing up to 8 mm long. They possess small, pointed, brown jaws. Adults emerge in mid-February – March and lay eggs at the base of plants. These eggs hatch in winter, and the larvae burrow into the soil and begin feeding on plant roots.