SOME INSECTS AFFECTING CHEESE, HAMS, FRUIT, ETC. 107 



readily have been shown had an expert entomologist been called in, 

 that if the covering of the hams was sound, and had been kept intact 

 while in the hands of the Boston firm, as seems to have been proven 

 by them, the eggs must have been laid before the hams left Cincinnati. 

 The difference in climate between Cincinnati and Boston would also 

 give added weight to the Boston claim. The lack of knowledge of the 

 actual facts governing the case is shown by the written opinion of one 

 of the packing experts, who stated that, whereas the Cincinnati firm had 

 previously used manila paper in packing their hams, they had begun to 

 use husk, which was "very likely to contain the germ from which the 

 worm is bred."! 



The insect is hardly a factor in housekeeping except in the country, 

 where a farmer may put up a small number of hams for home consump- 

 tion during the ensuing year. In ordinary households a wormy ham 

 need only be returned to the dealer from whom it was bought. 



THE LARDER BEETLE. 



(Dermestes lardarius Linn.) 



A dark-brown beetle of the shape illustrated in the figure, with a 

 pale, yellowish-brown band containing six black dots across the upper 

 half of the wing covers, three-tenths of an inch in length. The larva 

 is brown and hairy, tapers from head to tail, and is furnished with 

 two short, curved, horny spines on top of the last joint of the body. 

 It is a common museum pest, and is found in many kinds of animal 

 food products, such as hams, bacon, and other kinds of meat, old cheese 

 (of which it seems to be especially fond), horn, hoofs, skins, beeswax, 

 silkworm cocoons, feathers, and hair. It has never been recorded as 

 damaging woolen cloth, and its popular name, " larder" or " bacon" 

 beetle, is a very appropriate one. 



The insect has long been known in the United States. It is also 

 found in all parts of Europe and in Asia. It is considered by Dr. Ham- 

 ilton to be probably a native of the United States as well as introduced 

 by commerce. It seems to occur in all parts of this country. 



There are recorded no full and definite statements regarding the life 

 history of this species, and we have made no observations which will 

 enable us to give the length of life, duration of different stages, and 

 other facts of equal interest. Under favorable conditions, however, 

 the insect is unquestionably a rapid breeder. Miss Caroline E. lleus- 

 tis, of St. John, New hrunswiek, in the August (1878) number of the 

 Canadian Entomologist, states that live weeks after placing a female 

 in a glass jar, with a piece of meat, she found a large and flourishing 

 colony of larva 1 , most of them full grown. Dr. C. 11. Horn, in (he 

 Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia (Vol. 1. L861, 

 j). 28), states that the insect remains in the papa condition for a period 

 varying from three or four days to a week, or even more, depending 

 principally on the warmth of the locality. From this statement we see 



