INSECTS INJURIOUS TO STORED GRAINS 



183 



legs in front, a series of four pairs of fleshy pro-legs along the 



middle, and another pair of soft legs at 



the end of the body. With warm spring 



weather the caterpillar changes to a pupa, 



and about the time that the wheat comes 



into head the adult moth emerges. As soon 



as it emerges, whether outdoors or in a barn, 



the moth at once flies to the grain-field, 



where the eggs are deposited. The exact 



time at which the moths emerge varies, but 



occurs some time late in May or in June. 



The moths quite closely resemble the 



clothes-moth often found flying about 



houses. The wings are quite narrow, and 



when expanded measure about one-half an 



inch from tip to tip, being of a yellowish or 



buff color, marked with black. The eggs 



are laid in the longitudinal channel on the 



side of the grain. Each female lays from 



sixty to ninety eggs in lots of about twenty 



each, one lot thus being about enough to in- 



fest the kernels of a head. The eggs hatch 



in from four to seven days. The young cat- 



erpillars are at first very active and soon 



find tender places and bore into the 



kernels, leaving almost invisible openings. 



These caterpillars become full grown in 



about three weeks, just about the time the 



grain is mature. About harvest-time the 



second brood of moths appears. These lay 



their eggs during July, depositing them on 



the ripe heads if the harvest be a little de- 



layed, but on the wheat in stack if harvest 



is prompt. Usually the caterpillars hatch- 



ing from these eggs become full grown and 



remain in the grain over winter, but in 



warm seasons, especially if warm in Sept- 



ember or when the pest is unusually abun- 



dant, a third brood of moths appears 



early in September. These lay another 



rmm 



t 



O HI ] 



FIG. 



157. Ear of pop- 

 of 



moth. (After Riley.) 



