ENTOMOLOGY 221 



breeds rapidly, both larvae and adults sharing in the work of de- 

 struction. Eggs are deposited by the female in punctures made in 

 the kernels with their long snouts. But a few days are required for 

 them to hatch into grubs. From three weeks to two months are re- 

 quired for this insect to pass through its life cycle, depending upon 

 the season. Corn infested with this weevil has been reported as in- 

 jurious to stock when fed and it is not improbable that meal made 

 from infested corn would be seriously injurious to man. 



The Bean Weevil This bean weevil and the four-spotted wee- 

 vil are both quite abundant in this State, and are frequently thought 

 to represent but one species. The bean weevil is probably an im- 

 ported enemy, and has now become quite well distributed over the 

 greater part of the United States. As early as 1860 it was noticed 

 that it was attacking the bean. It is a serious pest to this crop in the 

 field and when harvested. The adult is a small beetle about one- 

 tenth of an inch in length, ashy black, with a slight brownish tinge. 

 The body is quite hard and somewhat flattened. The larva is a 

 small, soft-bodied, grub-like insect, passing its entire life in the bean. 



The eggs are placed inside of the pod, the adults gnawing a 

 narrow slit along the ventral suture, through which the ovipositor 

 is thrust and the eggs deposited. No doubt the eggs are sometimes 

 deposited on the outside of the pod, but it is probable that such cases 

 are accidental, and that the eggs are frequently destroyed before 

 hatching. Several eggs may be deposited at one place. In about two 

 weeks these hatch, and the larva? eat into the beans. Several may 

 occupy one seed, but each having its separate cavity. The germ is 

 rarely injured, it being avoided as if it were distasteful. The larvae 

 reach maturity in the latter part of the summer, and transform into 

 pupae in the fall. Some of the beetles emerge in the fall while others 

 do not appear until the following spring, when they deposit eggs 

 again in the young and tender pods. In stored beans the eggs are 

 laid on the outside of the beans, loosely attached. Many successive 

 generations may be raised in stored beans. 



The Chinese Cow-Pea Weevil. This pest has been reported as 

 doing much damage in cow-peas. The adult is about one-eighth of an 

 inch in length and quite robust ; the wing covers are reddish brown, 

 mottled, more or less, with a lighter shade, with the prothorax and 

 head darker. It bears a general resemblance to the pea and bean 

 weevils, but the body is stouter. 



' The Four-Spotted Bean Weevil. The four-spotted bean weevil 

 is a common and abundant pest in many parts of the Southern 

 States, where it does much damage. The eggs, when deposited on 

 dried cow-peas, are placed on the outside, being firmly glued on 

 by a thin cementing substance, which extends around them some- 

 what. The small oval eggs may be detected by the unaided eye. 

 Larvae, after hatching, bore into the peas, and begin to feed and 

 grow. The pupal state is passed within the pea, and from which 

 the adult emerges and deposits eggs for the next brood. 



The Pea Weevil. This small beetle is quite familiar to all a.s 

 the peabug. It was originally confined to America, but has now 



