PERFORMANCE AND PREFERENCE OF HYLOBIUS-RADICIS BUCHANAN, AND H-PALES (HERBST) (COLEOPTERA, CURCULIONIDAE) ON VARIOUS PINUS SPECIES

The weevils Hylobius radicis Buchanan and Hylobius pales (Herbst) surv ived to adulthood more frequently, developed more rapidly, and weighed more as adults when reared on diet containing ground phloem from Scot s pine, Pinus sylvestris L., or red pine, Pinus resinosa Aiton, than f rom jack pine, Pinus banksiana Lamb., or eastern white pine, Pinus str obus L. In feeding tests, both weevils preferred Scots pine, although jack pine was preferred over red and white pine. When reared on diets containing phloem from red pines which had received various amounts of nitrogenous fertilizer, H. radicis and H. pales performed significant ly better at elevated concentrations of nitrogen. Hylobius radicis adu lts exhibited a feeding preference for twigs from red pines containing elevated nitrogen concentrations.