282 Phylum Ar thro p oda 



Order dermaptera 



DERMAPTERA 



B. B. Fulton, North Carolina State College 



EARWIGS may be reared in any jar or cage provided with moist 

 sand, but a large petri dish makes a very convenient cage. One 

 side of the dish is filled to the top with moist sand and the other side 

 left vacant for placing food materials. If the dish is shallow enough the 

 nest will be made against the glass if kept darkened. If the dish is too 

 deep, it may be partly filled with plaster or other material that the ear- 

 wig can not dig into. Earwigs feed on a great variety of food but most 

 species prefer food of animal origin. They require very little ventilation 

 and little care. I have had a petri dish with some Anisolabis annulipes 

 living in it for about a year. Sometimes I have forgotten to feed or water 

 them for several weeks at a time but have always found a few still alive. 



Order orthoptera, Family grylloblattidae 



GRYLLOBLATTA 



Norma Ford, University of Toronto 



IN KEEPING Grylloblatta in the laboratory an attempt has been 

 made to provide natural conditions. Found in their native habitat in 

 the Rocky Mountains, they live in cold, damp places, where the tem- 

 perature ranges from o°-s'° C., and the rotten logs or mosses are almost 

 dripping with moisture. 



In the laboratory each insect is kept in a separate jar because of 

 cannibalistic tendencies. The pieces of moss or decayed wood in the 

 jar are always kept wet. In fact, a quarter to a half inch of water may 

 be left in the bottom of the container. The jars are kept packed in ice 

 in a large, insulated tub. Covering the tub and jars is a fairly loose 

 packing of cotton batting. This allows for a certain variation in tem- 

 perature. 



The insects are usually fed on mealworms, cut in small pieces, although 

 pupae of ants, dipterous larvae, or adult flies give variety to the diet. 

 The insects are fed about once a month and care is taken to remove 

 from the jar any food which is left and has become moldy. 



Under these conditions the grylloblattas have lived for three and four 

 years, slowly reaching maturity and depositing eggs. 



