884 mOCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



to bore through the layer of sawdust. Ajiparently the sawdust serves 

 partly as food. These borers are such slow growers that they tax the 

 rearers' patience sometimes. There is hardly a case in which one has 

 to wait for less than a year before the adult is obtained. Two or three 

 years are not uncommon. Examination of the stems in which the borer 

 larvaj are placed should be made with great discretion. Frequent exami- 

 nation causes disturbance which the larvse cannot endure. Then during 

 examination the stems should be split or opened with the greatest care 

 and patience as the exact whereabouts of the insect is unlcnown and it is 

 likely to be injured. It may have formed its pupal cell and may be 

 pupating or may have pulsated. Disturbance at this time is often 

 injurious and in the majority of cases leads to the death of the insect. 

 Some of the borers in drywood, especially the Buprestids, cannot endure 

 transference and have to be reared in the wood in which they occur. 



Root-borers, such as Hepialids, require the same treatment as stem- 

 borers. Among this class may be included borers such as Cylas formi- 

 carius in sweet potato tubers ; such can be reared out easily. 



Borers into flower-huds or larvae which eat petals of flowers, requh'e a 

 supply of fresh flower-buds and flowers and can be reared easily. 



Of the insects affecting fruits, the fruitfly larvae require a supply of 

 moist earth to pupate in and, as in the case of all Diptera, the ijujiae 

 should be kept moist and not allowed to dry up. A layer of moist earth 

 should be kept at the bottom of the glass jars or troughs and the fruits 

 containing the maggots should be placed on the earth. The maggots 

 when full-fed ^^^ll go into the earth and pupate there. When the fruits 

 are succulent like p\impkin and give out a large quantity of water on 

 decomposition it is better to use an extra large quantity of dry (not 

 moist) earth. The dry earth absorbs the water and becomes moist. 

 Otherwise the excess of moisture may cause the pupse to rot. In rearing 

 these flies it may be necessary to dispense with glass or metal covers for 

 the jars and keep them covered with muslin. 



Many larvse bore into fruits for the seeds which they eat. Common 

 examples are Etiella boring Khesari (Lathyrus sativus) and other pods, 

 Heliothis armigera, ExeJastis and Catochrysops boring arhar pods, and 

 VirachoJa boring pomegranates. Such larvae require a supply of green 

 pods and fruits and are easily reared. Briwhids do not require any fresh 

 food to be supplied and are reared in the pods or rather seeds in which 

 they occur. 



Root-eaters, e.g., Melolonthid, Elaterkl, Curcuhonid and Chrysomelid 

 larvae, live underground and are best kept in glass jars with amj^le moist 

 earth and provided with roots, principally of gras.ses. The roots supplied 

 must be fresh. 



