Bean weevils feed on vetches, beans and other leguminous plants. Persius writes that crowds were pelted with vetches, beans, and lupins. Common food sources include clover, bird's-foot trefoil, vetches, and thistles. Occasional hosts are; vetches (in legume family) and sweet cherry. Their caterpillars feed on certain Fabaceae, for example vetches ("Vicia"). Vetches have cylindrical root nodules of the indeterminate type and are thus nitrogen-fixing plants. Unlike most other vetches, the leaves do not have tendrils for climbing over other vegetation. In 2017, global production of vetches was 920,537 tonnes. That year, 560,077 acreas were devoted to the cultivation of vetches in the world. The vetches also have a broad variety of other purposes. The caterpillar's food plants are vetches of the genus "Coronilla".