6 BEAN. 



The mischief caused by this beetle is from the maggots 

 feeding in the seeds of various kinds of Broad or Tick Beans, 

 and thus lessening their value by weight for sale, and also 

 their value for seed, as, where much is eaten away, the grow- 

 ing power of the young plant from the damaged seed is also 

 lessened. 



The maggots are fleshy, wrinkled across, and with a small 

 horny, rusty-coloured head. As far as I am aware, they are 

 legless, but in some kinds of Bruchi there are the rudiments 

 of feet on the front segments. 



The method of attack is for the Bean-seed Beetle to lay its 

 egg on the young seed-vessel in the Bean-blossom before this 

 is large enough to be called a pod, and from these eggs the 

 maggots hatch, which presently pierce into the growing 

 Beans. Then each maggot gnaws a gallery for itself, and 

 there, amongst the dust and dirt (consequent on results of its 

 feeding) which remain in the closed-up tunnel, it turns to the 

 chrysalis, and thence to the beetle state. 



The beetle is little more than the eighth of an inch long, 

 and if looked at under a magnifying glass will be found to 

 have the head drooping, with the mouth forming a kind of 

 wedge-shaped beak, the fore part of the body somewhat bell- 

 shaped, and each wing-case pitted with ten rows of small 

 dots. The colour is black, with brown hairs and various 

 white spots ; the tip of the tail prolonged, and covered with 

 grey down. The front pair of legs are reddish. The beetles 

 may be found on flowers of the Furze as early as February, 

 but though they may be found in seed Beans in March, April, 

 and May, they do not always leave the seed as soon as they 

 are developed. 



Beans that are still infested by the beetle may be known 

 by having a little round depression in the skin, which is also, 

 at this spot, slightly yellowish or transparent. This appear- 

 ance is caused by the substance of the Bean having been eaten 

 away inside by the maggot, which gnaws its gallery in the 

 seed up to the skin, so that this sinks a little into the hollow 

 space. When the beetle emerges, it pushes this circular bit 

 of skin off, and the round holes thus caused show that the 

 seed lias been infested. Autumn-sown seed is most likely to 

 be infested, as a large proportion of the beetles do not come 

 out till the end of winter, or, in some cases, well on in spring. 



Peevention and Eemedies. — A great deal may be done 

 towards preventing future attack, and loss consequent on 

 weakened plant growth from damaged seed, by ascertaining 

 what the condition of the seed is before purchase, or before 

 sowing. When the beetles have left the seed, the round hole 



