62 
ADDRESS 
AT THE 
Farmers’ Institute, Manassas, Va. 
February 22, 1893 
ON 
THE “FLY WEEVIL.” 
. ( Oelechin cerenlella ) 
By L. O. Howard, Assistant Entomologist, U. S, Department 
Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
The State of Virginia seems to be the original American 
home of this destructive grain pest. Originally, without a 
doubt, a European insect, it was unquestionably imported by 
the early settlers of Virginia in their supplies of wheat brought 
from the old country. From this center it has spread in all 
directions through the country, but more extensively and in- 
juriously towards the South than towards the North, since it 
does not thrive in a very cold climate. South of the wheat belt 
it is a very serious enemy to corn, reaching its maximum as a 
corn pest in Texas. In the extreme Northern States it is fre- 
quently found in grain which is stored, for one purpose or 
another, in buildings which are artificially warmed, but although 
frequently carried North during the summer in grain, it dies 
out in course of time in cold storehouses or mills. It affects 
not only corn and wheat, but all other stored cereal products. 
The best of the early writings upon this subject are by 
Virginians. At the beginning of the present century it was 
investigated by Mr. Landon Carter, and later Mr. Edmund 
Ruffin, a well-known writer upon agricultural topics, and the 
man who first suggested the value of marl as a fertilizer, paid 
some attention to this pest, and wrote several very able articles 
upon its habits and the best measures to be taken against it 
Since the war of the literature upon this insect has been devoted 
to a consideration of its habits as a corn pest in the South, and 
only recently have its injuries to the wheat crop of Virginia 
and Maryland become so serious as to attract general attention 
Professor Riley published a general article upon the species in 
his report as entomologist of the Department of Agriculture for 
1884, and within (he last year Prof. E. W. Doran, late entomol- 
ogist of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, pub- 
lished a good account of the insect upon pages 437-441 of 
Bulletin XVI. of the Station. 
The farmers of Virginia are particularly concerned with the 
damage done by this insect to the wheat crop. Its habits need 
not to be dilated upon, since they are doubtless familiar to all 
concerned in its treatment. It may be stated briefly however 
that the parent insect is a small gray moth or "candle fly” 
resembling a clothes’ moth. This moth lays its eggs only upon 
hard grain. The eggs hatch into small, whitish, maggot-like 
caterpillars, which eat out the interior of the individual grains 
and when full grown spin delicate silk cocoons, from which the 
moths eventually issue. The insect passes the winter only in 
your barns and storehouses. It will breed uninterruptedly, 
