Vol. xxix] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 93 



Notes on the Hibernating of the Belted Cucumber 



Beetle (Col.). 

 By R. A. SELL. Houston, Texas. 



Owing to the absence of Dr. J. S. Huxley, who suddenly 

 decided to answer the call for England's sons to enter the war, 

 the work of 1916-17 in continuation of the experiments with 

 Diabroticas, begun Sept. 16, 1915, was not carried out ac- 

 cording to plans which had been worked out. Extensive ex- 

 periments with i2-punctata and the saddled cucumber beetle 

 were abandoned when Mr. Simmons took a year's leave of 

 absence and the Department of Biology of Rice Institute was 

 compelled to meet the demands of a heavy enrollment of under- 

 graduate students. 



The experiments with the belted cucumber beetle (Diabro- 

 tica baltcata Lee.) were carried through under conditions that 

 seemed to be satisfactory in every way except that it was an 

 unusual winter. Cold weather set in much earlier than com- 

 mon and the usual periods of prolonged rainy weather did not 

 occur. There were no long periods of very warm weather 

 and the temperature did not stand as high as usual. The 

 barometric readings showed less variations than usual. No 

 attempt has been made to explain what effect these weather 

 conditions had upon the insects but it is quite probable that 

 they prepared for hibernation earlier than usual because of the 

 low temperature. 



All of the specimens used in the following experiment 

 were obtained at market gardens within eight miles of Hous- 

 ton, Texas. 



PREPARATION FOR HIBERNATING. 



During the latter part of October these beetles were espec- 

 ially destructive to the foliage of various kinds of plants. The;, 

 were particularly destructive to egg plant and late beans but 

 many of them could be found in the cane fields, working among 

 the stumps and the younger leaves. Undoubtedly this rep- 

 resented a long period of eating. 



About 340 beetles were brought in from tin- fields on Novcm- 



