Thursday 8 October 2015

Day 328 - Wonderous Weevils

Hey everyone today's Day 328 and I was just thinking about how you can see so many different things just in your house and garden. These particular little things, I have absolutely no idea how they got where they are! I found these little critters just on the window frame. There were no windows open or anything for them to have got through. It's just kind of a mystery how these Weevils got here! These are one of the smaller creatures that I have ever covered.

So, here are the facts:

  • These Weevils will be found all around the UK, like most things that I have covered as well, they'll be found most in the South and less so in the North.
  • In North America alone, there are over 1000 species of Weevils! That's an incredible amount for just one place.
  • If you think yesterday's 9,000 species was a lot, then you're in for a shock. There are 60,000 different species of Weevil in the world!!
  • These different species can range from a rather small 3mm to what's quite at large 1cm. They are usually just 6mm.
  • Talking about their size, they have quite a serious case of sexual dimorphism. This means that the Female's rostrum (beak sort of thing)
    is twice as big as the Male.
  • The Weevils lay their eggs next to the host plant in Spring. When the eggs hatch, the larvae actually bury into the ground.
  • Many of the larvae overwinter underground and emerge as adults the following Spring. 
  • Some species emerge in the Summer and will raid the homes of other Weevils for their shelter. 
  • The larvae will eat the roots of their host plant when they dig under but the adults like to feed on pretty much any crop.
Here are some links to some more information:



Hope you enjoyed,

Z.

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