280 SOCIAL LIFE IN THE INSECT WORLD 



possible ; if not, they will perish without in any way 

 attacking the sound peas. No eggs, no new generation 

 will ever be seen upon or within the dried peas in 

 the storehouse ; there the adult weevil can work no 

 further mischief." 



The Bruchus is not a sedentary inhabitant of 

 granaries: it requires the open air, the sun, the liberty 

 of the fields. Frugal in everything, it absolutely disdains 

 the hard tissues of the vegetable ; its tiny mouth is 

 content with a few honeyed mouthfuls, enjoyed upon 

 the flowers. The larvae, on the other hand, require 

 the tender tissues of the green pea growing in the 

 pod. For these reasons the granary knows no final 

 multiplication on the part of the despoiler. 



The origin of the evil is in the kitchen-garden. It 

 is there that we ought to keep a watch on the misdeeds 

 of the Bruchus, were it not for the fact that we are 

 nearly always weaponless when it comes to fighting 

 an insect. Indestructible by reason of its numbers, its 

 small size, and its cunning, the little creature laughs 

 at the anger of man. The gardener curses it, but the 

 weevil is not disturbed : it imperturbably continues its 

 trade of levying tribute. Happily we have assistants 

 more patient and more clear-sighted than ourselves. 



During the first week of August, when the mature 

 Bruchus begins to emerge, I notice a little Chalcidian, 

 the protector of our peas. In my rearing-cages it 

 issues under my eyes in abundance from the peas 

 infested by the grub of the weevil. The female has a 

 reddish head ana thorax ; the abdomen is black, with 

 a long augur-like oviscapt. The male, a Uttle smaller, 

 is black. Both sexes have reddish claws and thread- 

 like antennae. 



