Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-07

cornmeal. &c. are quickly attacked by
these enemies If kept unsealed. The beetles
are always eagerly in search OF such food
in which to lay their eggs, and presently
the stuff is swarmng with larvae and unfit
to eat.
During the past year two little beetles
popularity known as flour weevils, have &C.
casioned a good deal of alarm among mill
lers, dealers in feed. grocers and dealers
in patent foods. They are very ready to
attack such patented articles of diet as
contain flour or other fartnaceOuS Stun
The eggs are deposited in the flour, and
these and the young larvae are so minute
and pale in color not to be noticed
After being sealed up in boxes and barrels
for a while, the adult insects are developed
and the merchandise is soon ruined. Aside
from the trouble caused to manufacturer
dealer and purchaser. these beetles are
highly Objectionable. a few specimens be-
ing sufficient to give disagreeable odof
to the infested material.
What the weevil Thrives On.
Another destructive beetle is quite
minute and of reddish brown color 1t
seems to do more damage than any other
kind of weevil, attacking wheat, flour, oat-
meal, corn and even peanuts 1t has been
observed to feed upon snuff, orris-root,
baking powder, rice chaf, graham flour
and red pepper. During the last year this
beetle has been very destructive in Massa-
chusetts.
THE insect most Importantly repre-
sented in the cargo of rice from Rangoon
was doubtless the common rice weevil,
which originated in India. and has been
diffused by commerce. until row 1t Is at
home in nearly all grain growing countries
1t was probably imported into Europe with
the introduction and earliest cultivation of
rice, in the fifteenth century. From thence
it was brought to America, and at present
IL Is probably as widely distributed and as
injurious as any known insect. 1t occurs
in every state and territory in the Union,
and occasionally invades Canada and even
Alaska. In the southern states 1T is very
serious pest.
although, as its name implies, this
weevil is partial to rice. It thrives at least
equally we'll on wheat anG maize. 1t also
breeds freely in the cultivated varieties of
sorghum and in barley. rye. hulled oats.
buckwheat and chickpeas. When abundant
in store houses and groceries the adult
beetles invade boxes of crackers. cakes.
yeast cakes, barrels and bins of flour and
meal, and can subsist for months on SUI
gar. They are even known to burrow into
peaches, grapes and multerries.
I'm cid times long voyages were neces-
sary in carrying grain from the east, and
the rice weavil thus had time to do a great
deal of damage during transportation en-
tire cargoes being lost sometimes. Even
now the losses caused in this way are apt
to be considerable. Suppose that few
hundreds of immature weevils were in the
cargo of rice that was dispatched from
RangOOn TO san Francisco. WIS
time during the voyage for three or four
generations to develop. When 1t is con-
sideted that each female insect lays hun
dreds of eggs. it will be seen that the
cargo on it's arrival might easily have been
tenanted by swarms numbering millions.
The whole of the grain might have been
rendered unfit for food If only a part was
spoiled the rest could be saved by careful
Winnowing
Cosmopolitan Insects.
There is nothing effective that can be
done to protect a cargo of grain from in
sects while shipboard. In store houses
and elevators protection Is afforded by
simple means. When the building is clos ed
on Saturday evening receptacles contain
ing sulphide of carbon may be put in va
rious places. The doors and other OPEN
ings being closed. the heavy vapor from
the sulphide sinks into every Granny and
kills the beetles and their larvae 1t is not
practicable to do this during the week.
because of danger Of explosions.
Commerce has carried everywhere the
insects which injure stored grain. until
nearly all of these creatures have become
practically cosmopolitan. 1t is the same
way with other destructive bugs In the
United States we have about one hundred
species of scale insects, and of this num-
Der probably forty have been introduced
from other countries. These forty. more
over, include nearly all Of the worst spe-
ces. Introduced species become far more
injurious here, as a rule, than in their
original homes. The red scale of the
orange in Florida Is Importation from
the West Indies or South America: the red
troduced from the Pacific islands. The
dangerous '1uted' scale Of the Pacific coast
was imported from Australia. The San
Jose SCALE which of late has been making
a most destructive onslaught many
eastern orchards. is also, probably, an
Australian species.
Fend of Travel.
1.-THE eodling moth is European, and so is
the priE .ipal currant worm. The grape
berry moth origirally inhabited the region
of the Mediterranean. The European gypsy
moth one of the most ravenous defoliators
of fruit and shade trees known to ento-
nologists has for the last ten years made
itself so conspicuous in parts of Massachu-
sets that the state government has eX-
pended over 100000 in trying to stamp it
out. The European leopard moth, now con-
fined to the vicinity of New York city, is
an insect which in the larval stage boreS
into the twigs Of many trees. 1t threatens
to spread and do great damage. A new
pear borer, imported in nursery stock from
Europe has begun to spread in the state
of New Jersey. 1t is capable of killing
vigorous pear tree outright in two seasons.
Il have recently made an effort to learn
something of the injurious insects of Mex
leo. anticipating that the new activity In
railway building from the United States
into that country cannot but result in car
rying dangerous insects across our borders.
Already most serious enemy to the cotton
crop has crossed from Mexico into Texas
and threatens great damage.
Meanwhile the harlequin cabbage bug
Is steadily advancing from the south; the
potato tuber moth bids fair to continue its
eastward progress from Colorado, into
which state it has been brought from Cali
fornia and the sweet-potato root borer is
working up through our southern states
from Florida and Texas. The clover-root
borer and the clover-leaf weevil are work
ing westward through Indiana and Mchi-
gan, and the hop-plant louise and the pear
blister mite, well-inown eastern insects,
have recently made their first appearance
en- the Pacific coast. The eastward spread
of the Colorado potato bug from the plains
of the west, at first slow, and accomplished
only by the flight of the perfect insect, but
afterwards carried on in great jumps as
sisted by the railroads, is a startling case
within the recollection of every one.
THE greatest sufferers from imported
Injurious insects have been the fruit grow
ers of California. That state was the first
to pass quarantine and inspection laws and
such rrgula lions will have to be adopted
eventually by all of the states. Nursery
stock and fruit brought into California or