122 LIFE ON THE FARM. 



THE GRANARY WEEVIL. 



The granary weevil is a small beetle which has 

 been known for centuries to injure stored grain. 

 The adult insect is about an eighth of an inch in 

 length and brown in color. The female punctures 

 the grains of wheat with her snout and lays her 

 eggs in the cavities. When the eggs hatch, the 

 larvae devour the mealy interior and then undergo 

 their transformation. In the small cereals a single 

 grain furnishes a house for but one larva; but in 

 the larger kinds, such as Indian corn, a kernel 

 furnishes a home for several individuals. 



The adult beetles, as well as the larvae, eat the 

 grain. They are quite prolific and will breed sev- 

 eral generations during a year. One pair may 

 give rise to several thousand individuals annually. 



GRAIN MOTHS. 



These small moths infest all kinds of grain, and 

 are destructive in fields as well as in bins, because 

 of the adult's' power of flight. The caterpillars do 

 the damage. After hatching from the eggs, they 

 burrow into the grain and eat out the starchy mat- 

 ter. They soon mature, spin silken cocoons, enter 

 the pupa stage, and transform into adult moths to 

 pass again through the cycle of life. They do 

 more damage in the Southern than in the North- 

 ern States. 



