344 
THE CULTIVATOR 
Flying Weevil• 
t /J! 
i 
Moth. Cry satis. Larva 
Parasitic Insect which preys on the Weevil. 
Larva. Crysalis. Fly.* 
* Of the order Hymenoptera, probably an Ichneumon or Sphex. 
Parts of the Moth magnified . 
Moth of Flying Weevil magnified. 
Male. Female. 
I 
a, spiral tongue coiled; 
b, b , palpi unfolded, as they 
usually are after death; 
c, c, antennae. 
a, tongue uncoiled ; b , b , 
palpi recurved: 
c, c, antennae. 
FLYING WEEVIL. 
Hymenopterous Fly magnified. 
Mr. Tucker —In accordance with your intimation, 
in the July number of the Cultivator, that the drawings 
illustrative of the Flying Weevil orGrainmoth, would be 
acceptable, I herewith transmit a view of the insect, in 
its various stages, of the natural size; and of the moth 
magnified. I also send a sketch of the fly which preys 
upon the moth; although I have been unable to give 
some of the magnified parts as distinctly as I should 
like. This arises partly from the want of a sufficiently 
powerful lens, and partly from the insects being imper¬ 
fect. The only specimens to which I have access, at 
present, were given me by a friend, and have been en¬ 
closed in a small tin case, for nearly a year, along with 
grains of wheat. There are portions of perhaps a hun¬ 
dred flies thus enclosed, (nearly as many indeed as there 
are of weevil,) but unfortunately they are so dry and brit¬ 
tle, that it is difficult to find the more delicate members 
in a perfect state. 
For this reason, and also from the minuteness of the 
insect, it is a puzzling affair, at least for me, to determine 
the genus to which it belongs, by ascertaining, posi¬ 
tively, the form of the mouth and its appendages, of the 
antennae, and of the sting. At present, from the mandi¬ 
bles appearing notched, and the attennae filiform, and 
about ten in number, I incline to place these small 
flies among the spheges. 
The Encyc. Brit., in describing one sub-division of 
that genus, remarks, that most of the perfect insects de¬ 
posit their eggs in the bodies of other insects; and that 
the larvae of these serve as food for the spheges or for 
their young. 
On the other hand, the sting of our fly seems, in some 
specimens, at all events, quite visible along the abdomen, 
more like those of the Ichneumonodiat, and not concealed, 
as is stated to be the case, with insects of the sphex 
genus. 
Should I be able to obtain some specimens of the fly 
in good preservation, I shall endeavor to forward them 
to Dr. Harris or to Dr. Fitch, for their inspection. 
Mr. Bolton, the intelligent owner of a steam dom¬ 
ing mill in this place, on reading my former communi¬ 
cation, regarding the wheat moth, sent me the fol¬ 
lowing 
Additional Suggestions. 
Mr. R. Owen —Dear Sir—As practical addenda to 
your article on the weevil, I present you my experience 
in saving wheat during the past year. 
I received about 300 bushels of wheat, in small par¬ 
cels, during the month of July; the grain was spread 
upon the floor of a loft, and for three or four weeks I 
saw no signs of danger from the weevil. By degrees, 
great numbers of the insects began to cover the surface, 
and I found the mass was becoming warmer than the 
surrounding air. I immediately passed the wheat through 
a common fan, into a bin on the ground floor. Here we 
examined the grains and found eggs, also small worms 
evidently penetrating the grain. 
I was much alarmed, but determined not to give up 
to the enemy -without a struggle. In about ten days, 
the temperature began to rise again; I immediately sent 
the wheat back to the loft, spread it out, and, in about 
a week after, passed it through the fan, back to the bin, 
where it remained without change, until I. sold it 3 
months ago. The millers found no fault with it; the 
weight 60 lbs. to the bushel. 
