Red Spotted Weevil on Sunflowers

Damaged Sunflower, May 2014

When I found holes in the stem and about a food missing at the top of this sunflower (pictured above), I didn’t expect to find a tiny weevil responsible for the damage!

Red Spotted Weevil on Sunflower, May 2014

Weevils cause plant damage by using mouth parts and drilling holes in the plant, then feeding on the plant sap. These weevils have “snout” (see picture above) structures similar to the boll weevil—a major economic pest on cotton.