322 ANNUAL REPORT 



THE ANGAUMOIS MOTH. 



The first communication on this insect in reference to its oc- 

 currence in America, was presented to the American Philosoph- 

 ical Society, of Philadelphia, in 1768. Soon after it was found in 

 such great numbers in North Carolina as to extinguish a lighted 

 candle when a granary was entered at night. It has since 

 that time spread over a great part of the United States, and the 

 state of Minnesota will now have to be added to this territory. 



The insect is especially known to be destructive to wheat, and 

 hence to be so much the more dreaded in Minnesota, though I 

 am not aware that it has yet been found to attack the wheat here. 

 It is also known to attack barley, oats and corn, the last of 

 which is the nature of the injury as far as known in this state. 



I will not here attempt to describe the insect in its different 

 stages, as I think you can get a better idea by inspecting the 

 specimens themselves, I shall only add a summary of the life his- 

 tory as given by Mr. Webster in the twelfth report of the state 

 entomologist of Illinois. 



SUMMARY OF THE LIFE HISTORY. 



''The insect passes the winter in the lava state, pupates in 

 the spring, and the moths appear in May or June. These pair 

 immediately, and deposit their eggs on the young grains of the 

 new crop in the field, if they are allowed to escape, or, if not, 

 on the grain in the bins where they originated. These eggs 

 hatch in from four to seven days, and the larvae burrow into the 

 grain and themselves transform to moths, about August, or often 

 during the latter part of July. These moths pair and deposit 

 their eggs after the manner of the previous brood, and the larvse 

 from these, nearly, if not quite all, reach maturity during the 

 fall and transform the following spring. The number of broods 

 and time of appearance vary greatly, with climate and season; 

 in warm countries broods follow each other in rapid succession 

 during the entire year." 



REMEDIES. 



There are several parasites known to attack this insect, not- 

 able among which is a mite that has been found very destruc- 

 tive to the larvse. None of these parasites have yet been found 

 in Minnesota, but we can expect in due time to find them also. 



