14 . Farmers’ Bulletin 1275. 
In the coastal region of the Middle Atlantic States and farther south 
bean growing is made very difficult, if not rendered unprofitable, by 
the unmolested increase of the-bean weevil. 
The bean weevil is smaller than the pea weevil, being only about 
an eighth of an inch long, and shaped and marked as illustrated 
in Figure 12. The adult, or beetle, is so coated with fine hairs that it 
appears brownish gray or olive color. Unlike the pea weevil, the 
bean weevil not only can develop in growing beans in the field, but 
also can breed generation after generation in dried beans in storage. 
The adults may live as long as nine weeks, though usually two 
weeks represents their more normal length of life during the active 
season. Of course, adults may remain alive in a dormant condition 
for several months in dried seeds during cold weather. 
Fic. 12.—Common bean weevil: a, Beetle; b, larva or grub; ¢, pupa. The short line to 
right of the beetle (@) represents its real length. (Chittenden.) 
The female weevils fly from storage or hibernating quarters early 
in summer and from then on may be found upon the bean plants. 
While the weevils lay their eggs in largest numbers through cracks 
in the pod that develop during the drying-out of the pod, the female 
has been observed to gnaw holes in green pods and to lay her eggs 
through such holes. Eggs are never glued to the outside of the pod 
as is the habit of several other species of bean and pea weevil. In 
storage the eggs are laid singly and loosely (i. e., unattached) among 
the seeds. As many as 26 eggs may be laid by a single female in 
one day, and a total of 85 eggs during her life. Sometimes as many 
as 67 eges have been found laid through a crack in a bean pod. 
As many as 28 weevil grubs have been found in a single bean. All 
varieties of garden beans are attacked, even lima beans being severely 
damaged during 1920 and 1921 in New England. 
Experiments have demonstrated that the eggs of the bean weevil 
require from 5 days in the hottest weather to 20 days at a cooler 
temperature to hatch, and that the larve or grubs become full grown 
in from 11 to 42 days and the pupe in from 5 to 18 days, according 
