380 BULLEIIN 148. 



Its very suggestive and expressive popular name of "quince cur- 

 culio " was given to it by Dr. Trimble in 1870. 



The Story of the Life and Habits of the Quince Curculio. 



The quince curculio is so nearly related to the plum curculio * that 

 one would naturally suppose that the stories of their lives would differ 

 but little. However, careful observations have revealed some striking 

 and important differences, thus again emphasizing the necessity for 

 observations, rather than generalizations, upon the habits and lives of 

 our insect enemies. 



Its winter quarters. — It is in its grub stage (figure 189) that the 

 quince curculio passes the winter. The long dreary months are spent 

 by the grub in a little earthen cavity or cell two or three inches below 

 the surface. After leaving the fruit in the fall, the grub burrows its 

 way into the soil and there forms its winter home by rolling and twist- 

 ing its body around and thus packing the earth back, leaving a small, 

 oval, smooth-walled cell in which its winter nap is undisturbed by the 

 elements above. 



Its spring habits and transformations. — With the warmth of the 

 spring-time, the grubs begin their destined transformations necessary to 

 complete their life cycle. Wonderful changes take place beneath the 

 grub's skin, which is finally cast off, and a form, quite unlike the grub,- 

 known as the pupa, appears. One of these yellowish- white, tender 

 pupae is shown, much enlarged, in figure 190. They are curious 

 objects, with the developing legs, wings, snout and antennae of the 

 adult insect closely pressed against the body. From ten to twenty 

 days are spent by this insect in the spring in this quiescent pupa stage 

 in its earthen cell. Finally, the pupal shroud or skin is cast off, and 

 the active adult or curculio appears. At first, the beetle is light 

 colored and quite tender. On this account, it remains in the earthen 

 cell for ten days or more, gradually acquiring its normal coloring and 

 the maturity and hardness of body necessary to enable it to make its 

 way through the soil to the surface, to meet there the various vicissi- 

 tudes of its life. 



*Both bear the same generic or " sirname " {Conotrachelus) and thus 

 present only specific differences. 



