3IO Journal of Agricultural Research voi. iv, no. 4 



NUMBER OF PARASITES EMERGING FROM SINGLE HOST LARVA 



In dissecting eggs of the host, from i to 5 eggs of the parasite were 

 found, and in the rearing experiments undertaken in the laboratory from 

 I to 10 larvae of the parasite have been found in a single beetle cell. How- 

 ever, the usual number of parasites that issued from one host larva was 

 from 5 to 7. In two cases only were more than 7 parasites found in a 

 single host and in i of these 10 and in the other 9 were found. There was 

 one case where only i parasite was found in the host, but as mites had 

 destroyed several cells in this vial and were also in this cell, it seems 

 strongly probable that they had destroyed some of the parasites in this 

 particular cell. 



ONLY HOST 



The asparagus-beetle egg parasite has been observed attacking only 

 the eggs of the common asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi). In the 

 laboratory it has been confined with the eggs and young larvae of the 

 potato beetle, and with the eggs of the elm leaf beetle, but it paid no 

 attention to them. 



PUPATION AND THE PUPAL PERIOD 



The pupa when first formed is yellowish white throughout. Shortly 

 the eyes become reddish and the mandibles darken. In from two to 

 three days the eyes are bright red and the ocelli are also visible and are 

 of the same color. Next, the head and thorax begin to turn black and 

 this continues on through the abdomen, until just before emergence the 

 whole pupa appears black. 



Parasitic larvae which were seen in a cell on August 20 emerged as 

 adults on August 30. x\nother brood first seen on August 26 on Septem- 

 ber 7 emerged as adults. 



In a vial in which parasite larvae were seen on August 20, adult para- 

 sites emerged August 30. 



Parasitic lar\^ae which were taken from the soil on January 25, 191 3, 

 and kept in a warm room pupated on January 30 and the adults emerged 

 on February 8. 



Another lot of larvae taken frcftii the soil on February 3 pupated on 

 February 7 and emerged as adults on February 17. According to these 

 data, the pupal period lasts from 7 to 1 1 days. 



O VI POSITION 



The process of oviposition is in some respects different from that of 

 feeding. The parasite crawls slowly over the plant with the antennae 

 held down in front of the face and kept in constant vibration. When 

 a beetle egg is encountered it is carefully examined with the antennae 

 and, if satisfactory, the parasite crawls upon it and inserts the ovipositor. 

 The ovipositor remains in the egg for a few minutes, without the pul- 



