Battling the Strawberry Root Weevil
Horticultural experts share a rigorous, high-stakes method for saving berry patches from a devastating pest.
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Prof. Melander and Prof. Yothers have spent the past month in Kennewick experimenting with ways to combat the strawberry root weevil. Working alongside District Horticultural Inspector Luke Powell, they have identified a practical method for control: soil fumigation. The weevil is a serious threat, capable of destroying hundreds of acres of plants. Infested patches appear stunted and sickly, yielding easily to a pull as the grubs eat the roots. To treat, growers must identify infested spots, cover the rows with gas-tight canvas, and place saucers of carbon disulphide underneath for six hours. The gas is highly explosive and requires extreme caution, similar to handling gasoline, but it is currently the only successful way to prevent the migration of the next generation of weevils.
“At first the weevils are brown in color, but in a few days they become black. They are round bodies, hard shelled little beetles, less than a quarter-inch in length and because of their habit of feigning death, are difficult to discern.”
The persistent struggle against agricultural pests defined the early horticultural development of Benton County. These efforts to protect crops underscore the vulnerability of the region's economy to environmental threats—a dynamic that persists in modern Washington's intensive agricultural landscape.
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