46 First Report on Economic Zoology. 



minute larvae coming from the eggs laid on the paper may manage 

 to work their way through. 



When the larvae and beetles are found in the bacon the attacked 

 part should be cut away fairly deep, and well washed with a strong 

 solution of salicylate of soda or salicylic acid. After a bad attack the 

 store, room should be well white-washed and then fumigated with 

 hydrocyanic acid gas, bisulphide of carbon or with sulphur to 

 destroy the beetles — the iirst for preference, as it is safer to use than 

 the bisulphide and more effective than sulphur. 



The use of bisulphide of carbon to destroy the beetles and larvae 

 amongst the hacon has been suggested and would be quite successful 

 if we had only to deal with those two stages and the pupal stage, but 

 unfortunately the beetles also lay their eggs in and around the 

 attacked parts, and I have not at present obtained any satisfactory 

 results of the action of bisulphide of carbon or hydrocyanic acid gas 

 on insect and mite ova. In all cases experimented with so far the 

 ova have not been harmed to any appreciable extent. The infected 

 bacon or ham had thus best have the attacked parts where many of 

 the eggs appear to be laid cleansed with salicylic acid. A second 

 fumigation fourteen days after the first is the safest plan to follow. 



Weevils amongst Stored Corn. 



(Calandra granaria, L.) 



Corn Weevils {Calanxdra granaria) were sent by a correspondent 

 of the Board of Agriculture which had been attacking some oats 

 stored in a barn. This beetle, and a closely related one, the Rice 

 Weevil {C. oryzce, L.), which has also been forwarded by another cor- 

 respondent, from damaged Indian corn, are the most destructive corn 

 pests in gi'anaries, stores, ships and barns, that are known. Not 

 only do they attack stored corn, but also all cereals in transit. 

 Wliole cargoes of wheat, etc., are often destroyed in transit from 

 India, Australia, etc. 



One or two instances are known of field attack near mills in 

 Great Britain. 



The beetles lay their eggs in the corn, the maggots feed inside the 

 grain and there pupate. They breed fairly rapidly in this country 

 and may attack other stored goods than cereals. 



Eeproduction may go on all the year in mills, but chiefly takes 

 place in the spring and summer. The warmer the temperature the 

 more rapidly do they breed. In Great Britain we mainly suffer from 



