108 STORED GRAIN AND FLOUR. 
bulk seems alive, as I have myself seen them on very hot summer 
days,—it is a common practice for merchants to spout it—i.e. to shoot 
the grain down a spouted trough, in which, at the angle, is a wire 
sieve with meshes large enough to let the weevils pass through, but 
not the corn, which runs into the granary or‘into sacks, as the case 
may be. 
‘‘By such means the quantity of weevils and dust sifted out is 
enormous ; and this appliance is generally so situated at the wharves 
that the beetles are deposited near the edge of the wharf, or even in 
the river bed, and if not naturally washed away at high tide are swept 
into the water, their destruction being thus easily accomplished. 
‘«« The great heat generated in a bulk of weevilly corn is caused by the 
dust arising from the borings and ‘frass’ of the insects. The weevils 
themselves are generally to be found inside the granaried heap or 
cargo of corn, unless the weather is very hot, when they are especially 
lively on the outside.”—(H. A. F.)* 
On a small scale there does not seem to be any difficulty in carrying 
out this plan as well for farm use, or in private establishments, as in 
the great shipping arrangements ; and last season I suggested running 
weevilly corn down a screen made especially for the purpose so as to 
allow the beetles to go through but not the corn, and I was told that 
the plan succeeded. The great point to be attended to would be that 
the weevils should fall on what they cannot escape from, but a tub or 
rather a shallow vat of the length and breadth of the screen, and 
placed beneath it with a mixture of soft-soap and paraftin in water, or 
anything which would stifle the beetles, would answer every purpose, 
and not be of much expense. 
As matter of prevention of infestation, fresh grain should never be 
stored in bins where infested grain has been, or in buildings where 
weevils are then present, as they have a power of spreading with 
wonderful rapidity. All bins in which weevilly corn has been stored 
away should be cleared of all remains of the grain and thoroughly 
scrubbed, brushed, and cleaned in every available way. 
Lime-washing and scrubbing granaries (especially with soft-soap), 
plastering up all crannies and uneven wall surfaces so as to prevent 
the weevils sheltering in them, and for a similar reason concreting or 
asphalting all uneven floors, are measures strongly recommended. 
Also where storage rooms or granaries are large and steam power is 
available, it might be expected that the application of steam by means 
of a hose, and at the greatest heat attainable, would act well in 
clearing out this attack, as it has been found to do in mill service for 
elearing out the “ Mediterranean Mill Moth,” and also such of the 
* From “Granary Weevils, S. granarius and S. oryz@,” by Edward A. Fitch, 
‘The Entomologist’ for February, 1879, pp. 42-43. 
