326 



AA^ ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



in this pleasant occupation, but they have habits so nearly sim- 

 ilar that there is no necessity for differentiating them here. As 

 to remedies, plenty of air, sunshine, and beating will keep cloth- 

 ing free, or, having been made free, it can be wrapped in stout 

 paper in such a w^ay as to make it impossible for the moths to 

 enter and to lay eggs, or for the young caterpillar to find a crev- 

 ice through which to crawl. A cotton or linen sack, if the material 

 is sufficiently dense, will afford almost equal protection. A 

 closet or trunk in which plenty of naphthaline crystals have been 

 strewn is also a safe place, and will be avoided by the moths, who 

 cannot live in such an atmosphere. Where the insects get into 

 carpets, they can be destroyed by saturating the infested spots 

 with gasoline, as this is exceedingly penetrating and fatal to the 

 insects w^herever it touches them. 



Another troublesome species is the Gelechia cereallella, or ' ' An- 

 goumois grain moth. ' ' Its larva bores into the kernels of wheat, 

 rye, or corn, a single grain of wheat sufficing to bring one to 

 maturity, while in a grain of corn two or three, or sometimes 

 even four, larvae find sufficient nourishment, though two is, per- 

 haps, the rule. The insects sometimes lay their eggs upon the 

 grain in the fields, and when it is cut and brought into the barn 

 they continue breeding in the mow so long as it remains there. 

 Corn-cribs frequently become infested, and the insects breed as 

 long as the temperature remains m.ild. Where grain is threshed 

 and bulked the upper layers may be infested, but the insects are 

 not able to get in very far, because the moth is unable to escape 

 through any heavy layer, becoming worn out and dying before 

 reaching the surface. The insect is much more troublesome 

 southward than it is in the north, where the cold weather checks 

 breeding before it has an opportunity to do much damage ; but 

 in regions where the temperature in the barns is moderate 

 throughout the winter it frequently does great injury. The 

 best remedy is threshing and bulking the grain as soon as pos- 

 sible, covering the bins to keep out the insects. If infection is 

 noticed, it can be easily checked by evaporating bisulphide of 

 carbon in a dish upon the surface. The vapor is heavy and 

 sinks through it to the bottom, effectually clearing out any in- 

 sects that may be present. In corn-cribs the bisulphide can also 

 be used, but the crib must be temporarily closed b}^ canvas or 



