Sampling and Dispersion of Pepper Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Adults

Sampling studies were conducted to assess intra- and interplant dispersion of pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano, adults and to compare adult sampling methods. More weevils were observed on fruiting buds than on other plant structures, and adult numbers varied diurnally on the exposed portions of the plant. The number of pepper weevil adults on exposed terminal buds was significantly higher in the morning than the afternoon. Interplant dispersion estimates using terminal bud inspection suggested that pepper weevil adults are clumped (Taylor's Power Law: b = 1.2, sample unit = five contiguous plants, two terminal buds per plant) in commercial bell-pepper fields. A concentration of pepper weevil in the field margins was observed at two farm sites. Taylor's Power Law coefficients did not vary significantly over time or with changes in population density, but the slope b was sensitive to pepper variety and sample position on the plant. Variance-to-mean ratios and Morisita's index were affected by quadrat size. A comparison of terminal bud inspection, whole plant inspection, and an absolute sample for pepper weevil adult counts indicated that terminal bud inspection had a greater relative net precision than whole plant inspection.