473 



latus and is probaLly, like that species, Oriental, or possibly, 

 African, like its host-plant. 



Bniehus ohtectiu'i in Hawaii. 



Bruclius ohtectus was reported by Van Dine in 190-i as 

 bred from stored beans from Kauai and has been frequently 

 bred since then from beans purchased in stores in Honolulu 

 but there has always been some uncertainty as to the source of 

 the material from which they had been bred and in conse- 

 quence some uncertainty as to its status here. I have seen 

 abundant material bred from beans grown in Honolulu and 

 from the island of Maui. jSTo doubt remains as to its estab- 

 lishment and its presence in such abundance as to form a 

 serious problem in the local production of beans. Its presence 

 necessitates the fumigation of all of the large crop produced on 

 Maui. While the data at hand do not indicate the time re- 

 quired for development there can be no doubt that from eight 

 to ten generations may be produced in a year and that breed- 

 ing is continuous here in stored beans infested while in the 

 field. 



Lima beans and tepary beans may be readily infested ex- 

 perimentally and the former have been found appreciably 

 injured in the field. It is curious that the individuals develop- 

 ing at the expense of lima beans are much smaller than those 

 from either common or tepary beans. This is also true of the 

 individuals of Bruclms quadrimacuJatus and the Dolichos 

 weevil bred from the same host. I have so far been unable to 

 rear the bean weevil from other beans and j^eas, though my 

 experiments are as yet inconclusive. 



From 187 beans of three different varieties including red 

 kidney and bayou, the third of a similar size, all naturally 

 infested in the field, 370 weevils emerged or a little less than 

 2 per bean. Of these 115 emerged from beans which produced 

 only a single beetle. 



