Bean Weevil
Categories:
Pests and Diseases of Plants
How can I keep certain insects from getting into my dry beans? I have
finished picking the crop. Every year a little, short, stubby beetle
gets in them before spring and makes them unfit for use.
You have to do with the bean weevil. The eggs are inserted by the insect
while the beans are still green in the pods; subsequently the eggs hatch
and the worm excavates the interior of the ripened beans. The beans can
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be protected after ripening by heating carefully to 130° Fahrenheit,
which will destroy the egg, or the larva if already hatched. Of course,
this heating must be done cautiously and with the aid of a good
thermometer for fear of destroying the germinating power. The work of
the insect can also be stopped by putting the beans in a barrel or other
close receptacle, with a saucer containing about an ounce of carbon
bi-sulfid to vaporize. Be careful not to approach the vapor with a
light. After treatment for one-half hour, the cover can be removed and
the vapor will entirely dissipate. This is a safer treatment than the
heating. Similar methods of control can be used on other pea and bean
weevils.