April, '11] HINDS & turxer: rice, weevil 233 



was 3.5 mm. and head and snout 1.55 mm. This shows that females 

 average no larger in body, but have distinctly longer snouts than 

 do males. Under the microscope or a good hand lens, there is little 

 difficulty in separating the sexes solely upon the appearance of the 

 snout. The male snout is plainly thicker and more deeply punctate 

 than is that of the female. 



The two sexes are produced in approximately equal numl)ers. On 

 stored corn, however, many more males than females are likely to be 

 found outside of the kernels while a larger proportion of the females 

 are engaged in feeding on the inside of those kernels which show 

 weevil emergence holes. 



Spring Activity. — It is certain that many weevils hibernate in the 

 fields. Large numbers were found in the course of the boll weevil 

 investigations hibernating both in empt}' cotton bolls and more fre- 

 quently in old corn stalks. They have been found moving in the field 

 as early as February in Texas after a very mild winter, and as early 

 as January 30 in Alabama Of course large numbers occur around 

 corn cribs. It is evident, however, that in the field the rice weevil 

 must have some other food than corn grain to survive the long season 

 during which this is developing. What is this food normally? Of 

 this w^e are not yet certain as observations are only scattering. 

 Weevil adults are to be found in many locations before corn is read\' 

 for their attack, but their occurrence may not indicate that they are 

 feeding there. We have no record of breeding occurring except on 

 some grain and during the fall of the year in the open field. 



Dissemination. — The possession of functional wings is another 

 character in which this species differs from the "granary w^eevil" and 

 it is very certain that it spreads in the field entirely by flight. They 

 do not even crawl up the corn stalk to reach the ear but fly directly 

 thereto. We do not know how far they may spread from field to field 

 but it is certain that corn raised for the first time on ground at least 

 a mile from where corn was grown the preceding season is certain to 

 become infested before it is ready to harvest. Our observations 

 indicate that the season of greatest activity in flight is coincident 

 with the maturing season for corn. Early corn serves to concentrate 

 most of the weevils in the neighborhood and by presenting conditions 

 favorable for the breeding of the weevils through so much longer 

 time, it is ordinarily much more seriously injured by the weevils than 

 is late maturing corn. 



First Attack on Corn. — Rice weevils do not seem to be able to feed on 

 -any part of the corn plant except the grain. Weevils placed on young 

 growing corn starved to death with no evidence of feeding. Weevils 

 placed on corn in the milk stage fed somewhat and life was prolonged 



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