Sunflower headclipping weevil

This is a black weevil about 1.0 cm (1/3 inches) long with a long, curved snout and relatively soft wing covers. Diagnosis is most easly made by the distinctive form of the plant damage. Adults girdle flower peduncles and leaf petioles leaving partially severed flowers or leaves hanging on the plant. When severed flower heads are opened, they often reveal mating aggregations of adult weevils covered in pollen.