REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 193 



bag of pease infested with Pea Weevil were put away for two years, the Pea Weevils 

 would emerge the first spring and die in the bags. But, in the case of a bag of beans 

 infested by the Bean Weevil kept in the same way, the beetles on emerging would at 

 once set to work laying eggs upon the beans. The young grubs when hatched would 

 penetrate the dry seeds and go through all their stages, and this breeding might be 

 repeated as long as the supply of beans lasted. Curiously enough, the Pea Weevil does 

 not bore holes through the paper or cotton bags in which infested seed has been stored, 

 but in the case of the Bean Weevil such bags are readily pei'forated and the beetles 

 escape, — frequently, when this happens in houses, as is sometimes the case, to the great 

 consternation of the inhabitants. 



The Bean Weevil seems to be a cosmopolitan species, the original home of which 

 was in Asia. It was probably introduced into America through commerce and has been 

 the cause of considerable damage in various States of the American Union. It has been 

 mentioned in the reports of several United States entomologists, full articles being given 

 by Professors Riley, Popenoe and Lintner. There has been a great deal of discussion 

 as to the proper name of the species. The last decision seems to be that the beetle 

 should be called Bruchus ohtectus of Say. The Bean Weevil has never been recorded as 

 an injurious insect in Canada until the present year, when I received from Mr. B. Gott, 

 of Strathroy, Middlesex Co., Ont., specimens of the beetles and some seed beans which 

 had been entirely destroyed for seed or food purposes. Each seed had been so perforated 

 and the contents eaten away that it could be crushed with gentle pressure between the 

 fingers. These specimens answered in every particular to Dr. Riley's description of 

 Bruchus fahce given in his Third Missouri Report, but authorities now consider that 

 B.fabce, Rileyj and B. ohtectus, Say, are identical. 



Mr. Gott stated that the beans had been held over from the spring in strong pa2:)er 

 bags and put away in a cool room. At the time of his writing, December, 1898, large 

 numbers of the beetles had been found in his house. They were thought at first to be 

 Pea Weevils, but Mr. Gott noticed that they were different, and after some search found 

 that they came from the bags of beans, of which the paper was perforated with nume- 

 rous holes. 



Remedies. — As in the case of the Pea Weevil, the best remedy for this insect is the 

 destruction of the weevils inside the beans as soon as possible after the crop is ripe. 

 Fumigation with bisulphide of carbon is the best treatment in every way. It must not 

 be forgotten that this liquid and its vapour are very dangerous to use, owing to their 

 extreme inflammability. The most convenient way to fumigate seed is to place it in an 

 ordinary coal oil barrel and pour on the beans one ounce of the bisulphide of carbon for 

 every 100 pounds of grain, then close the barrel tightly, first with a wet canvas or 

 cloth and, on the top of this, boards which should be left undisturbed for two days at 

 least. 



The Carrot Rust-fly {Psila rosce, Fab.), mentioned in my last report, has been 

 sent in as having appeared in injurious numbers at two new localities in the province 

 of Quebec and also occurred in small numbers at Ottawa. This year white field carrots 

 were attacked, as well as red ones. The semi-transparent yellowish maggot \ of an inch 

 long perforates the roots in every direction, leaving dirty brown burrows. The maggots 

 are blunt at the tail end, but taper towards the head, where is a black hooked tip 

 forked at the base, by means of which the maggots burrow their way through the roots. 

 The pupa-case is reddish-brown and, as a rule, is found in the earth outside the carrots. 

 The mature fly is \ of an inch long, bright shining black with yellow legs and red eyes. 

 There are at least two broods, if not more, in a season. 



This is a serious pest of the carrot, rendering the roots quite unfit for table use. Its 

 occurrence, however, has been intermittent, bad attacks one year being sometimes 

 followed the next season by a total absence of injury. 



" Knowlton, Brome Co., Que., July 6. — I send you to-day by mail a little box in 

 which are a few carrots badly infested by a small white maggot. Nearly one-third of 

 my patch of carrots are dead from the eff'ects of it, and it is only a few days since they 

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