37 



II. — Insects Affecting Food. 



6. The Grain Moth (Tinea granella) belongs to the family Tineidce in the order 

 Zepidoptera. In its perfect state this insect is about one-third of an inch long. It has 

 glossy fore wings marbled with grey and brown, and spotted with dark spots. Its hind 

 wings are blackish. There are two broods in the year. The first appears in May, and 

 the second in August. The young from the latter live through the winter. 



The caterpillars, as soon as they are hatched commence to eat the grain, and to spin 

 a web, mingling with it rejected fragments of their food, and, as they increase in size, the 

 grain itself. Where the creatures abound the whole surface of the grain in the bin will 

 be found tangled into a crust of webs and damaged grain. The caterpillars, that do the 

 mischief, are yellow or buff in colour, and have reddish heads. When full grown they are 

 half-an-inch long. They creep into some nook or crevice to spin their cocoons which are 

 about the size of a kernel of wheat. The chrysalis is brown and shining. 



To remedy, in a measure, the effects of the creature's operations, the grain should be 

 passed through a fan. To prevent attacks it should be kept in barrels, headed up, or in 

 small tight bins, in cool and dry apartments. 



7. The Meal Worm (Tenebrio molitor). This grub is the larva of a beetle belonging to 

 the family Tenebrionidce in the order Coleoptera. The beetle is very common, and is 



-sometimes called the " black beetle," and sometimes the "flour beetle." 



The larva is about an inch long. It is cream coloured and has twelve clearly marked 

 segments, besides the head. It is smooth and glossy. It abounds in corn-mills, flour- 

 stores, bakeries, etc. It often does much damage on ship-board, biting its way through 

 and through the biscuits stored in casks. It is sought for by bird-fanciers as food for 

 "their pets. 



The perfect insect is of a compact oyate form. Its colour on its first appearance is 

 chestnut brown, but exposure darkens this rapidly into blackish brown. The elytra 

 cover the abdomen and are striated. The legs and antennae are long and slender. 

 To keep the store-room free from the worms, kill the beetles. 



Fiff. 22. 



8. The Flesh Fly {Sarcophaga carnaria) belongs to the family Muscidce in the order Dip- 

 iera. Fig. 21. It is black, striped and checkered with grey. Its legs are stout and hairy. 

 Its head is rather small. It is viviparous — it deposits living maggots, the eggs hatching 

 within its own body. It is marvellously prolific, producing as many as 20,000 larva?, Fig. 



