Sitona discoideus (about 4-5mm long), originally from the Mediterranean, is a pest of lucerne. First recorded in New Zealand in 1974, the weevil probably arrived here from Australia. The adults eat the foliage, but the larvae are more damaging, feeding on the nitrogen fixing root nodules. A parasitic wasp Microctonus aethiopoides was introduced in 1982 to control Sitona.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
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Forest and Bird, Issue 282, 1 November 1996, Page 38
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61Sitona discoideus (about 4-5mm long), originally from the Mediterranean, is a pest of lucerne. First recorded in New Zealand in 1974, the weevil probably arrived here from Australia. The adults eat the foliage, but the larvae are more damaging, feeding on the nitrogen fixing root nodules. A parasitic wasp Microctonus aethiopoides was introduced in 1982 to control Sitona. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE Forest and Bird, Issue 282, 1 November 1996, Page 38
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