THE TOBACCO BEETLE. 69 



different stages of the beetle by handling or by the process of manu- 

 facture. Whenever possible manufactured tobacco should be packed 

 in insect-proof containers. 



The more important means of controlling the tobacco beetle may 

 be summarized briefly as follows: 



(1) Scrupulous cleanliness in the factory, wholesale or retail es- 

 tablishment, including the prompt destruction or treatment of all 

 refuse material, damaged stock, etc., in which the beetles may breed. 



(2) In factories, screening or otherwise protecting the finished 

 product from infestation. 



(3) Constructing or refitting packing or storage rooms, especially 

 in warm localities, so that they can be quickly and easily cleaned, 

 and with a view to the exclusion of beetles which may be present in 

 other parts of the factory. 



Among destructive agencies which may be employed in control of 

 the insect are: 



(1) Freezing. (Treatment by cold storage or exposure to low temperatures 

 in cold climates.) 



(2) High temperatures or steam. (A temperature of from 125° to 140° F. 

 continued for several hours, or 150° F. for a short time, kills all stages of the 

 beetle. ) 



(3) Trapping or destruction by mechanical means. 



(4) Fumigation with carbon disulphid, hydrocyanic-acid gas, or other fumi- 

 gants. 



(5) Sterilization of infested tobacco by means of exposure to Rontgen or 

 X rays. 



The modern method of storing leaf tobacco in hogsheads in 

 specially constructed buildings or sheds, giving practically out-of- 

 door conditions and variations of temperature, furnishes an effective 

 means, in cool climates, of reducing or preventing injury from the 

 beetle to the classes of leaf tobacco which may be stored in this 

 manner. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



(1) Fabricitjs, J. C. 



1792. Entomologia systematica, v. 1. Hafniae. 



Page 241 : Original description as Ptinus serricornis. 



(2) ' 



1801. Systema eleutheratorum, v. 1. • Kiliae. 



Page 236 : Ptinus serricornis described as living in American dried 

 plants. 



(3) SCHONHERR, C. J. 



1808. Synonymia insectorum, v. 1, pt. 2. 424 p. Stockholm. 

 Page 113: Ptilinus serricornis, synonymy. 



(4) Duftschmid, Caspar. 



1825. Fauna Austrian, pt. 3. 289 p. Linz. 



Page 46 : Ptilinus testaceus described as new. 



