Insect Enemies of the Pea Crop. 



Pea Weevil. Scientifically, the pea-weevil is known as Bruchus 

 pisorum, a name given to it by the celebrated Linnaeus, who first 

 described the insect sent to him from America. Although called a 

 weevil, its snout is very short ; hence, it is not a true snout-weevil. 



The adult beetle is scarcely more than one-fifth of an inch in 

 length, and one-tenth of an inch in width. As to color, it is brown- 

 ish-black, with white and black markings, arranged as in Fig. 1, d. 

 Besides the white markings, there are two black spots on the end of 

 its body, which the wings do not cover. When examined closely 

 with a good magnifying glass, the feelers are found to be composed 

 of eleven joints, the sides of the thorax are notched, and the thighs 

 of the hind legs are thickened and provided with two spines. 



The beetles make their escape from the peas either in the late 

 summer or spring ; the majority probably in the spring. Those that 

 appear in the fall, pass the winter in the barn or under fences or rub- 

 bish, or possibly in the ground. When the peas are in blossom, the 

 beetles appear on the vines, and the female deposits her yellow, 

 spindle-shaped eggs on the outside of the young pods. Many eggs 

 are frequently found on a pod, but always singly, and attached by a 

 sticky substance, which becomes white and glistening when dry. 



In a few days, the grub hatches from the eg^, bores through the 

 wall of the pod, and enters the nearest pea. Within the seed it 

 feeds and grows. 



The grub (Fig. 1, a) is maggot-like, being fleshy, slightly swollen in 

 the middle, and white, with the exception of its mouth, which is brown. 

 It has three pairs of minute legs, which are frequently overlooked. 

 When full grown, it is about one-fourth of an inch long. It eats a 

 a circular hole on the side of the pea, leaving only a thin hull as a 

 covering. It then lines this cavity with a thin paste, within which 

 it changes to a pupa. 



The pupa (Fig. 1, b and c) is white, but often becomes brown after 

 the peas are threshed and fumigated. The pupal stage is the resting 

 one, and lasts about a week, the exact duration depending largely on 

 weather conditions. It then transforms into an adult beetle, which 

 may either emerge from the pea immediately or remain passive 

 within its cell, even until late in the spring. 



Pea Moth. This pea enemy, known as the pea moth, (Semasia 

 nigricana) is more widely distributed in Canada than the pea-weevil, 

 but it does not work so much injury. This tiny moth (Fig. 2, b and c) 

 is the parent of the small caterpillars, or " worms," which are often 

 found within the pod on the surface of partly eaten and web-covered 

 peas. Besides inflicting injuries to the peas, these "worms" (Fig. 2, a) 

 leave much excrementitious matter in the form of pellets, which 

 render the seeds disgusting and worthless. When nearly full grown, 



