The food plants and feeding preferences of the beech leaf mining weevil, Rhynchaenus fagi L.

Abstract. 1. In laboratory experiments, R.fagi made feeding holes in eighteen tree and shrub species, including beech, from seven plant families but few plants other than beech were eaten to any extent.
2. Overwintered adult weevils preferred beech to all these eighteen plants in spring.
3. Hawthorn and raspberry were the most acceptable plants if beech was not available at this time.
4. Field collected weevils from hawthorn had partly developed oocytes in early April, prior to beech bud burst.
5. New generation weevils sought alternative food sources in late June and July; raspberry was preferred to the youngest available beech leaves at this time.