Tortricidae 345 



SITOTROGA EGG PRODUCTION 



Stanley E. Flanders, University of California 



IT is estimated that the moths produced from one pound of corn will 

 deposit about 40,000 eggs, while those produced from an equal 

 weight of wheat will yield about 80,000 eggs under mass production 

 conditions. 



The moths will oviposit in almost any narrow crevice, such as found 

 between strips of paper fastened together by clips or between the bodies 

 of the moths themselves in crowded containers. Almost any type of 

 container may be used, provided it is small enough to cause the moths 

 to crowd together. The cover should consist of a 20-mesh screen if 

 moths are from corn, or a 30-mesh screen if from wheat. They deposit 

 most of their eggs within 72 hours after emerging from the grain if 

 held at a temperature of 8o° F. and relative humidity of 70%. At the 

 end of this period the moths should be vigorously stirred and shaken to 

 dislodge any eggs adhering to them. The eggs are then sifted out through 

 the screened cover and winnowed to free them from moth scales and 

 debris. The finest of the scale dust may be eliminated by keeping the 

 moth container inverted over a trough in a constant current of air. 



By this method loose eggs are obtained. They are then evenly 



spread in a single layer over cards of uniform size thinly coated with 



shellac. This affords a fairly accurate means of measuring production. 



The chorion of the egg is relatively tough so that they may be handled 



in mass as readily as grains of rice. At 8o° F. the moth larvae hatch in 



about 5 days. 



Bibliography 



Flanders, S. E. 1928. Developments in Trichogramma production. 7. Econ. 



Ent. 21:512. 

 1930. Mass production of egg parasites of the genus Trichogramma. Hil- 



gardia 4:465. 



Family tortricidae 



NOTES ON BREEDING THE ORIENTAL FRUIT MOTH, 

 GRAPHOLITHA MOLESTA 



W. T. Brigham, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station 



THE present need of large numbers of larvae of the Oriental fruit 

 moth for mass production of parasites has led to the adoption of 

 the following procedure in breeding at the Connecticut Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station. 



The original moths were obtained from infested twigs collected from 

 orchards during the first and second broods. Infested terminal twigs 



