Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscenses Page: 20
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20 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES.
to transform into the pupa state
of development.
When under the powerful rays
of a bulls-eve reflector in this at-
tempt to photog'raplhically repro-
duce these larvae in situ, they be-
came quite lively and, fearing the
result would be spoiled, I dropped
some chloroform near the furrows,
when they ceased moving at once.
The photograph shows the larvaeFig. 2. (1) Plug Tobacco Infested with the
Tobacco Larvae. (2) Tobacco and DrugStore
Beetles with Larvae. (3) Drug Store Beetles
at Normal Size.
in their natural positions as they
had not been touched.
Near these larval tobacco beet-
les are seen some holes and fur-
rows in the cigar which the ma-
ture beetles and afterwards these
developing larvae had prepared.
It seems that during the fall and
winter the mature insects perfor-
ate the tobacco and also other
material such as food stuffs and
drulns, producing a round deep
hole not larer than the body of
the insect, and then deposit theova inside the tunneled holes wxxh-ln
after a certain length of time the
larvae seen on the plug cut toibac-
eo (Fig.I.) and the (iiar
specimen develop. This process
has been witnessed off and on
years ag'o and again lately by the
writer when the furrows of these
beetles had been exposed in to-
bacco and some drugs, either of
which they feed upon but with
preference for the tobacco and
usually for the best brand of to-
hiacco goods.
These minute insects are occa-
sionally and numerously found in
dried vegetable drugs and house-
hold goods. But lately my friend,
the druggist, happened to find an
old package of orris root powder
in which numerous round and oval
shaped bodies of granular apnear-
ance were present which after
mounting and microscopical ex-
amination I found to be composed
mainly of the cocoons of the min-
ute tobacco beetle and I preparedTwo Tobuacco Rleetlcs and one I)rug Store
Beetle (Lower an l. rac I .
a photograph of them magnified
sliu'htly (Fig. IV.). Nearly all of
these beetle cocoons 'were in the
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Menger, R. Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscenses, book, 1913; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143558/m1/24/?rotate=270: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.