150 REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST OF 



THE WEE GRAIN" BEETLE. 



Not infrequently during the past few years have I found in rice and 

 other culinary articles, specimens of a small, slender, brown beetle, which, 

 though probably a native of the orient, has become, from its habits, scat- 

 tered throughout the habitable globe. This little beetle is known to science 

 as Silvanus surinamensis Linn. In 1881 I received this beetle from Breeds- 

 ville, Michigan, where it was found seriously injuring the wheat and other 

 grains. In 1882 a leading merchant of Detroit sent for me to come at once 

 to his house, .as a worse than the locust plague was inflicted upon him and 

 his household. I hastened to Detroit and found his house fairly swarming 

 with these same wee grain beetles. The elegant house of this gentleman 

 was, through the rear rooms, connected with the nearly as elegant barn or 

 stables. Upon examination I found that meal and other grains were kept 

 perpetually in these stables. Further search discovered that these beetles 

 were breeding in this meal, and that they existed in the barn in countless 

 thousands. As they are very small and flat they could press between 

 casings and windows, and under windows and doors, and so had taken, all 

 uninvited, entire possession of the house, greatly to the horror and disgust 

 of the family. This present season Mr. D. S. Hall, of Tecumseh, Michigan, 

 has discovered the same pest in his whent. To show in what fabulous num- 

 bers these gather upon the fated grain, I have only to say that Mr. Hall 

 writes that he could easily collect one-fourth bushel of these minute beetles. 

 He actually did collect one peck in cleaning 600 bushels of grain. This 

 explains the emigration and wide spread dispersion at Detroit. 



This beetle is referred to in the Government Agricultural Eeport for 1870, 

 p. 66, in a brief illustrated article. It is stated that it feeds on various 

 grain, apple seeds, and even leaf tobacco. A brief illustrated note occurs 

 also in the American Entomologist, vol. 2, p. 339. Here a brief description 

 of the beetle is given. The specimens were from Pennsylvania and were 

 reported as very destructive to wheat, rye and oats. It is also stated that it 

 makes the grain damp and warm, which fact is always observed where these 

 wee grain beetles are present in force. Curtis, in his Farm Insects, p. 329, 

 gives an excellent account of this insect, which is accompanied with a fine 

 colored figure. 



This beetle ( Fig. 3 ) is a narrow, flat brown insect. It 

 belongs to the family Cucujidse. Most of the insects of this 

 family are flat, and generally are found resting under bark, as this 

 is also said to do. It is very small, hardly 3 mm. (.12 in.) long. 

 The pro-thorax is a little darker than are the wing covers. The 

 antennas are slightly enlarged at the end. The last three joints 

 (See fig. 3) form this enlargement. There are on the upper sur- 

 face of the pro-thorax three raised longitudinal lines, and six 

 distinct teeth on each side. There are four similar lines' on each 

 Fig. 3. wing cover. These ridges, however, are not so prominent as those 

 Beetle, of the pro-thorax. Between the raised lines of the wing covers are 

 double rows of pits or punctures. Smaller punctures also cover the thorax 

 and head. The femora or thighs are all enlarged, and the tarsi are all five 

 jointed. Fine, short, light-colored hairs cover sparingly nearly the whole 

 of the insect. 



