Reports to the Board of Agriculture. 177 



this beetle has been recorded as aunoying people of a night by nipping 

 them when in bed (Taschenberg). Both larva and adult do the 

 damage. They occur all the year round, but are most abundant in 

 warm weather. The beetle is about one-tenth of an inch long, rich 

 deep brown in colour, rather flattened and can easily be told by the 

 curiously notched thorax, there being six distinct spines on each side 

 and two more or less prominent median grooves above. The female 

 lays her eggs amongst the meal, and from them come very active 

 little larvae (Fig. 28), nearly white in colour, rather flattened, each 

 segment having a darker median area ; the six jointed-legs, in front, 

 are brown, and there is an anal proleg ; each segment has a few rather 



Fig. 28. — larva of thk saw-toothed 

 grain wekvil. 



Fig. 27. — the saw-toothed 

 GRAIN WEEVIL {Silvanus 

 surinamensis, Linn.). 



long pale hairs. When mature the larva reaches about one-fifth of 

 an inch and then turns into the pupal stage where it has been feeding ; 

 sometimes a cocoon is formed of coarse meal and grain, at other times 

 the pupa is naked, as usually occurs, when this pest invades and lives 

 in flour and meal. 



In this country, it appears that the winter is passed in the mature 

 condition, and reproduction ceases. The life-cycle varies in this 

 country from five weeks to ten weeks. In America it is recorded as 

 passing through all its stages in twenty-four days. 



The variation in time taken by them to mature depends upon 

 temperature and the amount of food supply. 



They may be treated in the same way as the Corn Weevil. 



