487 

 A Dermestid Infesting Garden Seeds (Col.). 



I'.V O. H. SWEZEV. 



June 4, 1920. In a tin biscuit box (8" x 9" x 7y) in which 

 Dr. H. L. Lyon had garden seeds stored, were found great 

 numbers of a Dermestid * beetle. The garden seeds of various 

 kinds had been placed in the box in 1918, late in the year. 

 According to Dr. Lyon the box had not been opened during 

 the intervening time. It is impossible to account for the great 

 abundance of beetles, except that a very few unnoticed speci- 

 mens were in one or more of the packages of seeds at the 

 time when put in in 1918. The box was closed sufficiently 

 tight so that it hardly seems possible that any beetles could 

 have got in, especially as there was nothing which would seem 

 to be attractive to them. 



The box and contents were put in a fumigating box and 

 fumigated with carbon bisulphide and all beetles killed before 

 a thorough examination of contents w'as made. Among the 

 packages of seeds were several that had not been opened, 

 having come from W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 

 Others had been opened at some time and probably some of 

 the contents used. They were mostly in paper packages but 

 two or three were in cloth bags. 



The seeds badly eaten were sweet corn, both in package and 

 on the ear. The embryo part of the kernels was first eaten, 

 then considerable of the starchy portion as well, so that there 

 were only fragments of the kernels left. Yellow field corn 

 was not so badly eaten, nor white Guam corn. 



Other seeds badly eaten were : — Mile maize, tomato, ground 

 almond, carrot, martynia, fordhook squash and bachelor button. 



Seeds only slightly eaten : — Peas, radish, alfalfa, papaia, 

 Swiss chard, Russian sunflower. 



* Specimens were later sent to Dr. E. C. Van Dyke who determined 

 it as Eucnocerus antJirenoides Sharp (?), a species found in Mexico and 

 Panama. (Ed.) 



Proc. Haw. Ent. Soc, IV, No. 3, September, 1921. 



