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Bean weevils are voracious and destructive agricultural pests. Bean weevils attack dry beans, cowpeas, and lentils. Their habitats include warehouses and wherever leguminous seeds are stored. Adult bean weevils lay white eggs on dry bean seeds. The eggs hatch in between 3 and 9 days, and the hatched larvae bore twisting tunnels into the meat of the seeds. The larvae feed for between 12 days and 6 months and then pupate for between 8 and 25 days. When mature, adult bean weevils escape the gutted seeds by cutting neat round holes in the seed coats with specialized snouts and efficient chewing mouthparts. Unlike many other types of weevils, bean weevils do not require moisture to live and feed within seeds.
Image and text copyright © Dennis Kunkel. All rights reserved. |
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