Sweet Potato Weevil

Sweet Potato Weevil: (Size=1/3 to 1/4 inch)
A problem in the southern United States. Sweet potato roots and vines are tunneled through by 1/3-inch-long, white, legless grubs with dark heads. The adult weevil, a 1/4-inch-long antlike insect with a long snout, feeds on the tops of the plant, but usually does little damage. Eggs are laid in cavities in the potato or on the vine near the soil surface. Weevils overwinter in stored sweet potatoes or on nearby weeds such as wild morning glory. There may be as many as eight generations per year,

Controls:
When buying slips or seed potatoes, make sure they are certified weevil-free.

Mound soil around the base of stems to make it difficult for larvae to enter roots.

Clean up all weeds and leftover sweet potatoes at the end of the season.

Rotate crops.

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