Vicki Baum, age 12, of Woods Cross, Utah, for her question:

WHAT ARE WEEVILS?

Weevil is the name of about 25,000 different kinds of beetles. They are among the worst insect pests that attack farm crops.

Adult weevils are often so small they are hard to see. Theyhave long snouts that may be longer than the rest of the body. Theylay lots of eggs in the stalk, seed or fruit of plants. Then their grubs, which come out of the eggs, feed on the plants and cause great damage.

The boll weevil attacks cotton plants and .probably causes more loss than any other insect in the United States.

An alfalfa weevil first appeared near Salt Lake City in about 1904 and spread rapidly, causing great crop loss. It came to the United States from Europe and Asia.