The Indian Wheat and Rice Weevil. 



found in vast numbers in last year's grain, and also on the walls and floor 

 of the sheds. Maize and barley are also said to be attacked (see appendix). 



Entomologists seem to be fairly agreed that C. oryzce. is only found in 

 stored grain, though some observations point to its occurring elsewhere 

 (see appendix) . 



Conclusive proof that rice, originally free from weevil, can be infected 

 in the granary, was found in some godowns in Calcutta (January 1888), 

 where was a considerable amount of yellow rice, which had been harvested 

 in the latter part of 1886, and shortly afterwards dipped in boiling water 

 to facilitate the removal of the husk. This rice was simply swarming with 

 weevils — which could not possibly have survived, in any stage of their 

 existence, the immersion in boiling water, and hence must have got into 

 the rice when it was lying in the granary. 



A series of wooden (kutcha) godowns and brick-built (pucca) ones 

 were found in the same place in close juxtaposition ; the walls, floors, and 

 1 the crannies and corners simply swarming with beetles; weevily 

 rice, harvested in 1886, lying close to rice harvested in 1887, which had 

 been very recently husked, and in which, after careful search, weevils 

 could not be found. Here was a brick-built godown which had been 

 thoroughly repaired in the preceding year, plastered, cleaned, a new floor 

 put in, and the wood-work thoroughly mended, the rice in this godown 

 had been passed through boiling water, so must have been uninfested 

 when put into the godown ; and yet it was found full of weevils. The 

 door of this godown, however, opened directly on to other old infested 

 godowns, and was said to have been frequently opened to remove small 

 fjuantities of the rice, which would abundantly account for the presence 

 of the pest, for a very few fertile females introduced in the first instance, 

 each capable of laying a hundred or two of eggs, would increase in geo- 

 metrical progression, and so sufiice, in a few months, to infest a very 

 large quantity of grain. 



What was found in these godowns is probably typical of other 

 granaries; and quite accounts for what seemed puzzling at first, viz.., that 

 grain stored iu well-built brick godowns is said to be as much affected 

 as that stored in wooden godowns. 



Like almost all other insects, the wheat weevil is not exempt from 

 the attack of Hymenopterous parasites. Fitch (En- 

 siteJ""^^^^ tomologist, volume XII, 1879) writes, that he has 



met with two (probably three) species of chalci- 

 didse, and that Curtis knew another. Comstock also^ describes a small 

 steel blue chalcid parasite with large red eyes, Pteromalm calandros 

 Howard, which resembles, though it is probably distinct from the species 



' United States DepartHiout of Agriculture Report, 1880, p. 273. 



