The Corn Weevil. Calandra granaria. Linn.

Fig. XIV.

6, perfect insect; 7, much mag.; 2, pupa; 3, much mag.

This insect, of the order Coleoptera, family Curculionidæ, and division Rhyncophora, does considerable damage to corn stored in granaries. The mischief caused by it is not apparent to the casual observer, but as the larva of the weevil concealed in the grain lives upon its substance, the valuable properties and weight of the corn are much diminished, and much loss is caused to farmers and corn merchants.

It attacks all kinds of corn, as well as malt. Foreign corn is frequently much infested with it, as it likes warm climates, and cannot live, or, at least, does not propagate, in low temperatures. page 51 In the Introduction to Entomology it is said that "sometimes this insect becomes so infinitely numerous that a sensible man engaged in the brewing trade once told me, speaking perhaps rather hyberbolically, that they collected and destroyed them by bushels." It is well known in France and Germany and has been found to be very injurious in America. Dr. Fitch reports that it has been imported with Italian grain, also that it is very destructive to seeds in the collections of the New York State Agricultural Society. Mr. Cooke, the chief executive horticultural officer of California states that it is a formidable pest in storehouses and mills in that country.