THE BROAD-BEAN WEEVIL. 67 
that the writer has observed the mite in great numbers attacking 
and destroying the related bean and cowpea weevils. ¢ 
A detailed account of this species with particular relation to its 
proving noxious to human beings is given by Prof. F. M. Webster in a 
recent publication of this Bureau. ? 
The writer feels no hesitation in stating that this mite is undoubt- 
edly a parasite of the weevil in question and that it has merely been 
overlooked by observers, since it is known to prey upon insects of 
several orders. ¢ 
The Lariidz (Bruchide) are not classified among poisonous insects, 
but there are many recorded and unrecorded cases of injury due to 
insects of the same order; for example, the Meloidz or blister beetles 
poison slightly and blisters rise on the bitten places. It 1s seldom, 
however, that a human being is bitten more than once or twice at 
the same time. Several genera of the Buprestidxe, another well- 
known family of beetles, are frequently accused of biting human 
beings in the same manner as the Meloidx, usually on the neck, and 
they even cause some irritation (but no poison whatever, so far as 
we know) when they are very abundant in lumber camps.?@ 
It is more to the point, however, that we received, March 5, 1909, 
from Messrs. B. F. Ellington & Co., Atlanta, Tex., examples of two 
lariids, the four-spotted bean weevil [Bruchus] (Pachymerus quadri- 
maculatus Fab.) and the common bean weevil ([Bruchus] Acan- 
thoscelides obtectus Say), with report that when the infested cowpea 
seed was being handled, the little insects sometimes covered the 
bodies of the workmen, raising “wheals” or bumps and actually 
causing fever. 
Under the circumstances, it seems quite probable that when any 
of this group of weevils occur in great abundance and obtain access 
to many portions of a human body, the bite may cause considerable 
irritation, but probably not to all of those having the handling of the 
infested seed. The fact is established that many persons are poisoned 
by the attacks of certain insects, while others are immune, or prac- 
tically so, to insects which more or less habitually sting or bite human 
beings.¢ 
aU.S. Dept. Agr., Yearbook for 1898, p. 247, 1899. 
b Cir. 118, Bur. Ent., U.S. Dept. Agr., “A predaceous mite proves noxious to man (Pediculoides ventri- 
cosus Newport),’’ pp. 1-24, Apr. 23, 1910. 
c After the above was written Mr. Wm. B. Parker reported this species of mite preying upon Laria 
rufimana in California. 
d Frequent reports have been made of the biting, or more properly speaking, piercing, of exposed portions 
of human beings by various forms of leafhoppers, and many bugs of the suborder Heteroptera are poisonous 
when attacking susceptible persons. The list could be considerably prolonged. 
e Thus, one person whom we may designate as A does not suffer more than a momentary inconvenience 
by the bite or sting of mosquitoes and bedbugs. On the other hand, he practically suffers torture from the 
attacks of fleas and chiggers, the wheals caused by the two insects being of about the same size, usually 
about that of a dime and persisting for one or two weeks and sometimes even longer, and causing uneasi- 
