Parker Dinsmore, age 12, of Beaumont, Tex., for his question:

WHAT ARE WEEVILS?

Weevil is the name for 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. They have long snouts that may be longer than the rest of their bodies. They lay slots 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 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in about 1904 and spread quickly, causing a big crop loss. It came to the U.S. from Europe and Asia.