INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CEREALS 243 



flour, feed, and packages of cereals. Not long ago we 

 received a complaint from a housekeeper in Ithaca, that a 

 sack of bran in her storage bin was infested with many 

 white "worms." A sample of the bran was obtained and 

 the adults reared from the larvae. They proved to be the 

 Mediterranean flour moth. 



Another instance of the same kind occurred in the house 

 of an entomological colleague. In this case, the flour bin 

 became badly infested with the larvae and moths. They 

 entered the cracks and crevices of the bin, webbing together 

 the waste flour and dust. The whole bin had to be very 

 carefully gone over with a stiff brush and the larvae dis- 

 lodged, swept up, and destroyed. 



This moth will probably continue to increase as a house- 

 hold pest because it is now widely distributed among the 

 larger flour mills of the country. It is bound to be 

 brought into the homes of consumers in sacks of flour, 

 feed, and cereals. 



The eggs, which are very small (Plate IV), are often 

 deposited on sacks containing flour and other products of 

 the mill, in which situations they are easily transported 

 long distances, especially into dwellings. The larvae al- 

 ways conceal themselves by burrowing into the cereal 

 infested and are thus easily overlooked and carried from 

 place to place. It is not at all surprising in view of these 

 habits that the insect has found its way into many pan- 

 tries. 



Appearance of the insect. The larva of the Mediter- 

 ranean flour moth is about one-half an inch in length and 

 has a cylindrical, flesh-colored body with a pinkish cast. 

 The body is sparsely clothed with long hairs and the head 

 is reddish-brown in color. The larva has the three pairs 



