Sunday, October 20, 2002

See No Weevil?

Two species of vine weevil that have been around England since at least 1998, Otiorhynchus armadillo and the less aggressive O. salicicola, are suddenly setting off alarms across the country. According to this article from the BBC, O. armadillo is now the most common weevil in Southwest London. Scientist aren't sure what caused the population explosion in either of these species, thought to have been accidentally introduced from the Mediterranean part of Italy. The pests are causing serious damage to plants from viburnum to ivy.

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