50 
FLOUR MILLS AND STORES. 
Dr. Lindeman (Prof, al’ecole Agricole, Moscow) favoured me with 
a reply that he was not aware of it being present in Southern Russia, 
but he could take upon himself to say that in Central Russia it had not 
up to that time been observed. 
Whether this species of Ephestia has been present in N. America 
until its outbreak at Toronto in 1889 I cannot state with precision, as 
the official report is not yet in my hands. From returns sent me up 
to the early part of last year, there appeared no reason to consider this 
to be the case. But the further investigation which has been set on 
foot has, I am informed, shown it has been present for some years. If 
possible, I will give details on this point in Appendix. There are few 
injurious insects of which the attack is so obvious when present as that 
of this Flour Moth, because, when it does come, the legions of caterpillars 
webbing up stores, or spinning and felting up Flour till much apparatus 
is choked and the whole place infested, make the establishment of the 
pest too plain for the date of the trouble to be doubtful, and on August 
20th, 1889, I received a letter from the Dominion Entomologist, 
Mr. J. Fletcher, informing me that the Ephestia Kuhniella had 
appeared in some large steam mills in Ontario, and was doing severe 
damage. 
In my 12th ‘ Report on Injurious Insects, 1 details were given as to 
the nature of the attack, but the following short abstract of information 
may be of service to those not previously acquainted with it:— 
The Ephestia Kuhniella, or Flour Moth, is of the size figured at 
p. 49 in outline ; the markings are represented in the magnified figure 
accompanying. The colour of the fore wings is of a rather pale grey, 
with darker transverse markings; the hind wings are whitish and 
semitransparent, with a darker line from the point along the fore edge. 
The Moths lay their eggs on Flour, or “branny stuff,” or on sacks 
where Flour is stored (this last point being a very important one 
relatively to spread of infestation from centres such as bakers’ 
establishments, where infested sacks may transfer the presence of 
pest to clean ones, and so distribute the trouble through a whole 
district. 
The eggs have been seen to hatch in a few days in England, and 
the caterpillars, which amongst those sent me ranged from about two 
to five-eighths of an inch in length, were 16-footed, cylindrical, and 
somewhat slender, varying from a fleshy or pale red in the younger to 
almost white in the older specimens. The head was yellowish brown, 
with darker jaws, and on the segment behind the head was a pale 
yellowish brown patch divided from back to front by a faint line, and 
above the last segment there was also a brownish oval or triangular 
patch ; along the back there were dark dots, for the most part four on 
each segment. 
