Recent developments in weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) IPM in high value vegetables in the southeastern U.S

Many vegetable-specific weevil pests have one thing in common, where they are present in a crop system; they are by far the key pest management concern. This is because weevils efficiently damage a large percentage of the harvested commodity and their reproductive strategy avoids control by insecticides. Two good examples of this are the pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii, and the cowpea curculio, Chalcodermus aeneus. Both weevils have narrow plant species host ranges for reproduction and both are more reproductively suited for subtropical than temperate climates. Thus, IPM strategies in temperate climate zones that strongly reduce overwintering populations and prevent annual reintroduction should lead to local reductions and possibly eradications of these weevil pests. Recent IPM studies for each are briefly summarized.