AGRICUI/niWAI, EXPERIMENT STATION. I 7-". 



LIFE HISTORV. 



The eggs are laid upon the young 

 bean pods after the flowers have with- 

 ered, at any point, and sometimes 

 many on a pod. The eggs hatch in a 

 few days and the young larvae enters 



the growing bean. It lives upon the 

 Fig. 16. Pea Weevil, a, natural -. 



six.e and enlarged; b, work or the substance of the bean making an exca- 

 insect. . 



vation somewhat laiger than itself in 



which it transforms to the pupa, finally to the beetle state. The 

 beetles may emerge in the fall or at any time during the winter, lay 

 eggs, which hatch and the larvae enter the same beans or new ones. 

 Successive generations may occur until the food supply is exhausted. 

 Those beetles on the wing during the summer lay their eggs in 

 the pods of the growing crop. The length of time required 

 for the transformations has not been studied but probably is" 

 variable with circumstances. We found quite a number of dead 

 beetles within the cells in the beans. 



PRECAUTIONS 



Experiments have shown that beans infested with weevils will 

 not all sprout and that the plants from them are sickly and do not 

 produce a full crop. It is therefore best not to plant them. It is 

 believed upon good authoritj 7 that beans containing the weevils in 

 the beetle form are probably injurious and unfit food for man or 

 beast. 



REMEDIES. 



If beans are found to be badly infested so as to be useless for 

 food or seed, they should be burned at once so as to prevent the 

 escape of the beetles. 



Beans should be kept in a tight box or bag and any beetles that 

 escape in the bag destroyed. 



Throw the infested beans into hot water. (The exact amount of 

 heat that beans will stand and germinate is not known but experi- 

 ments would determine.) We feel sure the germ will stand 

 more heat than the weevils. 



Prof. Weed killed pea weevils by exposing the peas to a temper- 

 ature of 145° F. for an hour. Bean weevils probably could be 

 destroyed in the same way. 



