Pests Infesting Buildings and Stored Produce. 233 
egg in each. The grub which results hollows out the grain 
and goes through all its changes within the husk. The weevils 
are very prolific, especially in a warm granary, so that the 
introduction of a very few of them may result in quite 
considerable destruction of grain in the course of a few 
months. The rice weevil, G. oryzce, introduced from India, 
has now spread all over the world, and is almost as common in 
grain as G. granaria, which it very closely resembles, though 
it is not difficult to distinguish them. The punctations on the 
thorax (or fore-body) of G. granaria are linear, while they are 
circular in G. oryzce, and the latter has four reddish spots on 
the wing covers. It is also more catholic in its tastes, and 
infests many stored products besides grain. 
Another little beetle which is widely spread in stored grain 
and other produce is Silvanus surinamensis. It is very 
minute — only the tenth of an inch in length — and cannot be 
mistaken for either of the Galandras, as it has no proboscis, and 
the fore-body is toothed along each side. Its grub is active, 
and instead of living within the grain it moves about and 
attacks many different grains from the outside. 
G. oryzce and S. surinamensis are thus to be found in 
various food-stuffs besides grain, and in one case a third beetle 
was complained of — Sitodrepa . panicea. This has been 
variously called the “ drug-store beetle,” and the “ bread 
beetle.” It has remarkable tastes, chamomile, red pepper, 
tobacco, ginger, and old books being among its favourite foods, 
though it does not despise flour and meal. It is a vei’y small 
oval insect — about the tenth of an inch long — and the covering 
of its fore-body forms a sort of hood. 
A comparatively gigantic beetle often found infesting 
stored goods of a fatty nature, such as bacon or cheese, is 
Dermestes lardarius, the “ bacon ” or “ larder beetle.” It is 
easily recognised by the characteristic markings on its wing- 
covers, and its extremely hairy grub is not likely to be 
mistaken for anything else. 
Occasionally microscopic Acarines of the “ cheese mite ” 
tribe [Tyroglyph.idce') are found infesting all kinds of stores, 
and even wandering at large about dwelling rooms. Glyci- 
phagus domesticus is the usual culprit, though G. spinipes has 
similar habits. These mites are exceedingly small creatures 
of a whitish colour which run about actively. They generally 
first occur in some neglected parcel of food material which has 
been left lying about, and they may increase to such an 
astonishing extent as to permeate the whole place. They do 
no great harm, but their presence is very naturally objected to. 
There are two mites to which the common name of “ cheese 
mite ” is applied, as both almost equally infest decaying cheese. 
