Common name: Rapeseed weevil
Scientific name: Ceutorhynchus spp
Order: Coleoptera
Affects crops of rapeseed, camelina, and even sesame
Period of activity: summer and autumn
Rapeseed is an oilseed crop that is becoming increasingly widespread in Spain and other countries such as France and Canada. Throughout its growth, this crop has to face a number of species of curculionid insects, coming from the genus Ceuthorhynchus.
Rapeseed can be affected at various stages of its development and in different organs. We find the winter stem weevil (C. picitarsis), stalk weevils (C. napi, C. rapae, C. pallidactylus) and pod weevils (C. assimilis, C. obstrictus).
The rapeseed weevil (Ceutorhynchus spp) is a small coleoptera of the Curculionidae family. Adults measure between 2 and 4 mm in length, have an oval, convex body and are blackish grey in colour. They are covered with fine scales, although the shade of their colour varies depending on the species, with greyish, black, brown, reddish or greenish varieties appearing. Their most distinctive feature is their elongated face (snout), which is thinner and longer in females, with antennae inserted at the end. The eggs, which are tiny and whitish, are laid in different parts of the plant depending on the weevil species.The larvae are legless, creamy white coloured, with a brown cephalic capsule. Likewise, they can develop in different parts of the plant, depending on the weevil species. They make galleries inside different parts of the plant, weakening it and facilitating the entry of pathogens.After several weeks of development, the mature larvae fall to the ground, causing the formation of the pupae inside the soil or among the fallen leaves, with some species remaining in a state of diapause, in which they do not cause damage to the crop. The new generation of adults will begin a new cycle, in whichthey will once again lay eggs, synchronised with the development of the plant.
Towards the end of winter, the adults of Ceutorhynchus napi and C. obstrictus begin their activity, coinciding with the sprouting and flowering phase. Ceutorhynchus assimilis flies in spring. In southern Europe, at the end of summer and autumn, adults of Ceutorhynchus picitarsis emerge..
The damage is difficult to observe, so it is essential to use traps to detect the presence of the pest before it is too late.
Ceuthorynchus picitaris species, or winter stem weevil, lays its eggs in autumn. The larva devours the terminal bud and forces the plant to develop side shoots, delaying cultivation.
Ceutorhynchus napi is also known as the stalk weevil. It is the species that can cause the most severe damage. It appears at the end of winter, from February to March, when its flight starts and lays its eggs at the tip of the stem. The larvae bore tunnels into the stems, preventing the rapeseed from developing properly and causing significant losses in production. It can also affect siliquas.
The pod weevil, Ceutorhynchus assimilis, begins its activity in late March or early April. This weevil lays its eggs in the fruit. It is particularly harmful when associated with damage caused by the rapeseed mosquito, as the latter can use holes made by the rapeseed weevil to lay its eggs
It is essential to detect the first flights by using ECONEX RAPE STEM WEEVIL ADJUSTABLE TRAP.
1 to 3 traps per hectare should be placed from mid-March to the end of November.
The first flights of the rapeseed weevil usually occur around mid-winter, with the rise in temperatures, when the plant begins to sprout and the stem starts to grow. The trap can be set at this time, bearing in mind that the yellow tray will need to be moved upwards as the plants grow. The trap can be left in the field until autumn, to monitor the species that are still flying at this time. The absence of wind and rain makes rapeseed beetle mating more likely.
The ECONEX RAPE STEM WEEVIL ADJUSTABLE TRAP consists of a yellow tray, 5 cm high and 34cm in diameter, a wooden support 1 m long and 2 cm in diameter with transverse holes every 15 cm and a15 cm long wooden bar that acts as a block.
ECONEX RAPE STEM WEEVIL ADJUSTABLE TRAP
Code: UIPFETA305
ADVANTAGES
The ECONEX RAPE STEM WEEVIL ADJUSTABLE TRAP is activated by filling the yellow tray with water. A few drops of liquid soap should be added to the water as a means to break the surface tension.
Check the traps regularly and refill them with water.
The product should be stored in its original packaging in a dry space, protected from direct sunlight.
Mild winters increase the survival rate of over-wintering adults, while warm springs accelerate their emergence from shelters and colonisation of fields.
Short rotations and frequent sowing of rapeseed in the same area increase the risk.
Encouraging the action of natural enemies keeps rapeseed weevil populations at lower levels.
ECONEX RAPE STEM WEEVIL LEAFLET
Leaflet in PDF format that can be downloaded by clicking on the image.
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