INSECTS AFFECTING HOUSEHOLD GOODS 229 



little case, and inside of this transforms to the pupa and 

 then to the beetle. There are from three to six or more 

 generations during a season, according to the latitude. 



The Red or Square-necked Grain-beetle * is about the same 

 size as the last species, but is a reddish-brown color, and the 

 thorax is almost square, nearly as broad as the abdomen and 

 not notched at the sides. It breeds in corn in both the 

 field and granary, first destroying the germ, so that it is 

 particularly injurious to seed corn. 



The Caddie f also has the bad habit of first attacking 

 the germ of the kernel, and going from one kernel to another 

 destroys a large number for use as seed. It has the good 

 trait, .however, of feeding on other injurious grain insects. 

 The beetle is about one-third of an inch long, oblong, flat, 

 and nearly black. The larva is a fleshy, whitish grub, 

 nearly three-fourths of an inch long when grown, with a 

 brown head, the thoracic segments marked with brown and 

 the abdomen ending in two dark horny processes. 



The larvae of two species of beetles % are very common 

 in bran and meal, as well as other grain products, and are 

 commonly known as meal worms. They are used for bird 

 food and are grown in quantity by bird stores. The beetles 

 are about one-half inch long, T. molitor, being a shining black 

 and somewhat lighter than T. obscurus, which is a dull 

 black.- Running lengthwise of the wing-covers are sixteen 

 furrows. The larvse, or meal-worms, are about one inch 

 long, yellowish in color, cylindrical, and have a hard, shiny 

 skin. At the tip of the abdomen are two small dark-colored 

 spines. They grow rather slowly and may live for a long 



* Cathartus gemettatus Duv. Family, 

 f Tenebriodes mauritanicus Linn. Family Trogositidce. 

 I Tenebrio obscurus and Tenebrio molitor Linn. Family Tenebri- 

 onidce, see page 123. 



