INSECT AND FUNGOUS PESTS 37 



beetle is about one-fifth to one-half inch in len£2^th, 

 with the head bent under the front of the body and 

 ending in a square-cut beak. When peas blossom 

 these miserable insects may be found upon them 

 waiting for the young pod to develop. On the pod 

 the eggs are deposited and the grubs as soon as 

 hatched bore through and enter the small green 

 peas, one beetle only infesting a single pea. The 

 grub remains in the pea, feeding upon its substance, 

 and passes into the pupal stage, gaining maturity 

 when peas are ripe. ^lost of the beetles remain 

 inside the peas until sown the following spring, 

 although some emerge at harvest and remain in 

 the field or in the barn all winter. Unlike bean 

 weevils, the pea weevil does not increase and mul- 

 tiply in stored peas, but will die if kept over another 

 3^ear. 



Fletcher^ discusses the question whether pea 

 weevil can be exterminated. He argues that since 

 the weevil has no other food plant than the com- 

 mon pea it could probably be exterminated by inter- 

 rupting the cultivation of the crop for one or two 

 years, or by thoroughly fumigating the seed peas. 

 There are difficulties in the way of either plan, and 

 the author recommends harvesting peas a little ear- 

 lier in the fall and immediately thrashing and sack- 

 ing them so as to prevent escape of beetles in the 

 field. Then treat all the seed peas with bisulphide 

 of carbon. Weevil-infested peas used as seed will 

 give very unsatisfactory results, 



Zavitz^ found that only about one-fourth of the 

 seed infested with weevil grew. In treating the in- 



' E. S. R., Vol. 14. 



" Ont. Agri. Col. Rpt. of 1898, pp. 144-148. 



