February, '13] NEWELL: RICE WATER WEEVIL 55 



we have experimented with the leather beetle, Dermestes vulpinus 

 Fab., and found that 125 degrees F. killed the insects without harm 

 to the books which they were infesting. 



Mr. W. E. Britton : Can insects be destroyed in warehouses where 

 seeds and grains are kept by using heat? 



Mr. G. a. Dean: I would not recommend heat for killing insects 

 infesting stored seeds and grain. In case they are stored in small 

 quantities, the heat method would be entirely satisfactory, but if 

 stored in large quantities it would require too much heat in order to 

 penetrate to the center of the bins. The germination of the grain next 

 to the heat would be injured and perhaps the gluten qualities. We 

 have one or two mills that are planning to heat their grain in their ele- 

 vators by passing it through a hot-air blast. I do not advocate heat 

 for destroying pests in seed storehouses and grain elevators. 



President W. D. Hunter: I will now call for the j^aper by Mr. 

 Newell, entitled ''Notes on the Rice Water Weevil and its Control.' 



NOTES ON THE RICE WATER WEEVIL (LISSORHOPTRUS 

 SIMPLEX SAY), AND ITS CONTROL 



By WiLMON Newell, College Station, Texas 



The observations here recorded were made by the writer during the 

 summer of 1909, while employed as entomologist of the Louisiana 

 Experiment Stations, and a rather comprehensive report on the inves- 

 tigation was submitted to that Station in February, 1910. Contrary 

 to expectations, it was not published. While a few workers have had 

 access to my unpublished report and notes — and have used them more 

 freely than professional courtesy would sanction — I nevertheless deem 

 the records of sufficient importance to justify their presentation in 

 condensed form before this Association. 



Lissorhoptrus simplex is generally distributed, and generally destruc- 

 tive, over the entire rice-growing belt of the South. Thus far the 

 only literature of importance dealing with the insect from an eco- 

 nomic standpoint is the article by Doctors Riley and Howard in the 

 Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture for 1881 and 1882, pp. 

 130-133. In this paper Doctor Howard gave a full account of his 

 investigation of the pest near Savannah, Ga., and described control 

 measures which have been followed, without improvement, to the 

 present time. 



In 1906 Mr. W. D. Pierce made mention of injury to rice by this 

 species at Beaumont, Texas, in 1904.^ 



xAnn. Rept. Neb. Board of Agr. for 1906-'07, p. 265. 



