THE KICE MOTH. 7 
30, and in the meantime the rice moth and other pests developed and 
the rice was condemned by the United States Government. Finally, 
the rice was shipped to New Orleans to be reconditioned, and was 
put into a condition satisfactory to the Federal authorities. 
December 7 of that year, a chocolate firm in Pennsylvania, which 
previously had furnished specimens, wrote that the moths disappear 
with the arrival of cold weather and are not seen again until the 
following spring. During the late spring months and all summer 
they are in evidence. The greatest trouble is experienced from the 
laying of eggs by the moths on the finished chocolate and cocoa. The 
eggs hatch into larvae and the customer naturally objects to " wormy " 
goods. Attempts were being made to avoid this as much as possible 
by keeping finished materials covered. 
LIFE HISTORY. 
The complete life history of the rice moth has not been ascertained. 
The progress which might have been made with other insects in 
similar investigations was prevented in this case by the fact that 
seldom more than two generations were obtained in a single rearing 
jar of cocoa or related substances. When confined in large numbers 
the larva?, like others of similar habits, such as Ephestia, travel, evi- 
dently in an endeavor to secure a suitable location for transforma- 
tion to pupae, to a greater extent than do the other species. This might 
explain the fact that the pupal cases or cocoons usually are found 
either on the outside of the bags at point of contact in the piles, or in 
the folds of the burlap sacks, which provide more or less shelter. In 
the rearing jars, although small pieces of cloth were inserted to form 
shelters for the pupae, the thick webbing spun by the larvae com- 
pletely covered the infested material, preventing the exit of the 
moths, which died without being able to reproduce. This fact is 
mentioned because it happened in the case of a half dozen rearing 
jars of large size (about 8 liters capacity). 
It has been ascertained, nevertheless, that the insect requires only 
a short time to develop from larva to adult, this period being de- 
dependent on temperature. The entire summer period for trans- 
formation from egg to egg is between 28 and 42 days, or from 4 to 6 
weeks, but this period would be prolonged considerably in cooler 
weather. 
Better results attended rearing experiments with this species in 
infested rice from Porto Eico. From a lot of moths which deposited 
eggs about May 26 a new generation of moths began to issue July 8, 
this period having been passed in 43 days, or approximately 6 weeks. 
The temperature ranged from 52° to 82° F., reaching the maximum 
only on a few occasions, and the average or mean temperature for 
the experiment was from 68° to 70° F. 
