Life History.

The perfect Pea beetle, Bruchus pisi (Nos. 9 and 10), is about two lines, or the sixth of an inch in length. It is of a dark colour, nearly black, with light coloured spots upon the elytra. Its wings are fairly large. The elytra do not cover the abdomen. The Bean beetle, Bruchus granarius (Nos. 1 and 2), is rather smaller than the Pea beetle and slightly different in colour, being of a more shiny black and without spots, or at least spots so pronounced, upon the elytra, which cover the abdomen more completely than those of the Bruchus pisi. The female beetles appear first in May, and deposit eggs in the blossoms of peas and beans as soon as they are formed. From these eggs small larvæ are hatched in a few days. These are without legs, of a dirty white colour, with black heads. They bore into the young peas and beans as they are developed, and live upon their substance. The larvæ change to pupae in the autumn, and remain within the peas and beans until the next spring, when they come forth as beetles.

In mild weather and in some circumstances they come forth much earlier.