142 ELEMENTARY LESSONS ON INSECTS 



Most important among them are the fruit flies, the fruit 

 worms, the codling moth and its allies, and the nut weevils. 



4. Destroyers of seeds and grains. — These feed on the most 

 concentrated foods that plants produce, but most of them, 

 like the cotton boll weevil eat the seeds while they are soft 

 and newly forming. Some of the more specialized, however, 

 like the bean, rice and grain weevils, feed on dry seeds. 

 These are our most direct competitors for food. 



5. Destroyers of wood. — These are mostly termites (see 

 fig. on p. 132) and beetle larvae. The latter are known as 

 borers of various sorts. They destroy timber, lumber, fur- 

 niture, implement-stock, etc. 



