﻿THE GEANARY WEEVIL 5 



A key to the principal insect pests of grain, including the granary- 

 weevil, was published by Zverezomb-Zubovski (73) in 1923, and is 

 especially interesting because of the 78 illustrations, the keys, and 

 the Russian bibliography of 72 entries dealing with grain pests. A 

 translation of this paper is on file in the Library of the Bureau of 

 Entomology, United States Department of Agricultm-e. Entomolog- 

 ists are directed to this paper in any study of the Russian literature. 



ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION 



The origin of the granary weevil is not definitely known, although 

 it has been thought to have originated either in Asia or in the region 

 bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Unlike the other members of 

 the genus Sitophilus, which thrive best in a tropical or subtropical 

 climate, the granary weevil is now distinctly a temperate-climate 

 species. 



Because of its habit of breeding in grains of all kinds, it has been 

 carried by commerce to all parts of the civilized world. It does not 

 thrive in warm climates, even though it is occasionally found there 

 in apparently thrifty cultures. In tropical and subtropical climates 

 it soon dies out. This seems true in spite of the fact that one of the 

 best cultures seen by the writers came from Texas in chick-peas 

 from Northern Mexico. Cotes (12) in 1888, Fletcher (£7) in 1911, 

 and Fletcher and Ghosh (28) in 1920, in their articles dealing with 

 grain pests in India, do not mention granarius as a grain pest along 

 with oryza and others. 



In colonial days, the granary weevil appears to have been abundant 

 and widespread over the United States and much more common 

 than the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryza. Possibly there existed a 

 confusion in the identification of these closely related weevils. At 

 the present time, the granary weevil is common in all the northern 

 States and is the predominating form in the States of the extreme 

 north. It is not often found breeding farther south than North 

 Carolina. 



Cooley (11, J). 127), in 1914, in recording the presence of granarius 

 in Montana, intimates that the species was not commonly found 

 there, for he says, " The knowledge of its presence in Montana should 

 put grain growers on their guard." Chapman (4, p. 38), in 1921, 

 writes, ''It is far more common in the south than in Minnesota. 

 Its importance in the north is due to the fact that it is continually 

 shipped in with southern wheat." 



vSwenk (66, p. 366), of Nebraska, in writing of the principal insects 

 injurious to agriculture during 1908-9, says: "A really tremendous 

 amount of grain is lost every year in Nebraska through the attack 

 of stored-grain pests after the grain has been stored in tlie granary. 

 Of course the insect most concerned in tliis destruction is the common 

 grain weevil (Calandra granaria)." In 1922 Swenk (67, pp. 3-4) 

 again states that the granary wecivil is common througliout Nebraska, 

 but refers to the presence also in southern Nebraska of S. oryza. 

 Dean (15, p. 198), in 1913, lists the granary weevil along with tlio 

 rice weevil and the Angoumois grain moth as the tJii-ee principal 

 pests in Kansas of whole grains. Ginuilt (32, p. 70), in 1912, in 

 discu-ssing tlic granary weevil, says, " Tlic species is widely distributed 

 in the United States but is more common southward." vSte(hnan 



