298 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



cork or desire a change of food, they have been known to 

 attack the insect specimens in the box. 



Among household materials, the larvae are known to 

 attack dried beans and peas and seeds of all kinds, together 

 with flour, meal, breakfast foods, chocolate, black and red 

 pepper, ginger, and other condiments. As we pointed out 

 in case of the yeast cakes, the insects may be in the materials 

 when they are purchased at the store. Very often one 

 may find the contents of the packages of such foods totally 

 worthless on account of the presence of so many larvae 

 throughout the whole mass. 



Chittenden says that this small beetle has a most per- 

 sistent enemy, a tiny chalcis fly (Meraporus calandrce 

 How.). This parasite pursues the beetle relentlessly, even 

 entering insect boxes in pursuit of its host. A small mite 

 also preys upon the larvae and pupae of the drug-store 

 beetle. 



Methods of control. — When a small amount of material 

 is brought from the store and is found to be badly infested, 

 the simplest way of treating it is to return the package or 

 destroy it, and buy new. Care should be exercised either 

 to confine the beetles and return all of them with the 

 package or be sure to destroy them all so that they do not 

 escape into the house. 



Where they occur in a sack or barrel of meal or flour, 

 they will usually be found near the top. In this case, the 

 top of the meal or flour may often be carefully removed 

 and fed out to animals and all of the beetles and larvae 

 gotten rid of in this way. If the larvae have found 

 their way up and down the sides of the sack or barrel 

 and have penetrated a pretty good portion of the ma- 

 terial in this way, there is not much that can be done 



