The life-history of the melon weevil, Baris granulipennis (Tourn.), in Israel

Abstract

Baris granulipennis (Tourn.), originally described from Egypt, has become a serious pest of water-melons (Colocynthis citrullus) in Israel, where hitherto its presence has not been recorded, and has been found on melons and cucumbers, but not on vegetable marrow or squash. Economically serious damage results from girdling of the stem end of the fruit by the female, prior to oviposition.The incubation period of the egg, on average, is 3·7 days at 30° and 6 days at 22°C. The larvae feed on developing seeds inside the fruit and pupate there. The total development period occupied from 25 to 42 days in the summer, when the temperature fluctuated between 24 and 29°C. The cocoon is made by glueing minute pellets together. These consist of dried pulp from the fruit mixed with a secretion which is ‘milked’ from the anus, and is believed to be produced in the Malpighian tubules. The preoviposition period is about four days, and the length of adult life is several weeks. There are three generations a year, and four if weather permits. Adults overwinter in hibernation. It is suggested that the increase of cucurbit cultivation, and the lengthening, by irrigation, of the cropping period, may have permitted an increase in the weevil population to pest proportions.