Hylobius abietis L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) This weevil (in Swedish "Snytbagge") feeds on the thin bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). The weevil is 9 to 14 mm long. It can be distinguished from the pine weevil (in Swedish "Tallvivel") by different creme colored markings on the elytra but more easily by the attachment of the antennae at the tip of the snout (near the mandibles) compared to the pine weevil's attachment about midway along the snout. Also the pine weevil is smaller at 6 to 9 mm long. H. abietis does most damage as adults when feeding on young seedlings where the "trunk" can be girdled causing death of the tree. This is usually only a problem in clearcut areas that have been replanted. In natural forest openings there are hundreds of tree seedlings and the weevils do not have a significant impact on regeneration.

Images © 1996 by John A. Byers, Chemical Ecology.