Pea and Bean Weevils

(Bruchidae, Lariidae, or Mylabridae), a family of plant-eating beetles closely related to the leaf-eating beetles. Pea and bean weevils are small beetles with protruding bodies, heads retracted into the prothorax, and elytra that do not cover the back end of the abdomen. The larvae are fleshy, legless, and C -shaped. When the larva hatches from the egg it has three pairs of legs, which later become very short. Pea and bean weevils are widespread. There are about 900 species, including more than 120 species in the USSR. They develop mainly in the seeds of legumes but also in the seeds of bindweed, umbellifers, certain palms, and other plants. A number of species, such as the pea weevil and lentil weevil, damage the seeds of leguminous crops. Some pea and bean weevils, such as the common bean weevil, are quarantined. Many pea and bean weevils deposit their eggs on the flowers or pods of legumes; the larvae burrow through the pod shell and settle in the seed, within which they pass through all stages of development. Metamorphosis into a pupa and beetle often occurs when the crop is already in storage. Species such as the common bean weevil deposit their eggs in dry seeds, and this pest can multiply rapidly in storage facilities.