THE RICE WATER-WEEVIL. 



11 



The fact that adults live throughout the greater part of the season 

 has been demonstrated several times. In an experiment with speci- 

 mens collected at Mackay, Tex., April 5, 1904, Mr. W. W. Yothers 

 succeeded in keeping the weevils alive by furnishing grass for food 

 until after the middle of July. Weevils confined on rice plants by 

 Mr. Hood at Crowley, La., July 18, lived later than the middle of 

 September, and the writer has made a corresponding record cover- 

 ing a period from July 11 to September 21. 



The common absence if not scarcity of fresh signs of feeding bv 

 adults late in the season or at the time when the new generation of 

 weevils is expected to emerge throws much doubt on the question of 

 their taking any food then. At least they do not remain long on the 

 plants, and the few feeding scars that may appear to have originated 

 at the time are likely produced by lingering adults of the old gen- 

 eration. A yearly overlapping of generations in the adult stage evi- 

 dently occurs. Few specimens that might be regarded as freshly 

 emerged weevils have been found in the fields. These were taken by 

 Mr. Hood, hiding in the cracks of the ground after the water had been 

 drained from the field for harvesting. Possibly some of these weevils 

 stray to electric lights at night, my last capture of a weevil being 

 made on the night of September 20. If a new generation of weevils 

 occurs no evidence of it has been found. The question is, What be- 

 comes of them until thev sro into hibernation? 



HIBERNATION. 



During the fall and water of 1910 Mr. Hood made examinations 

 of various places which might serve as hibernating quarters. The 

 materials examined included rice stubble, loose dirt in the fields, 

 strawstacks (both old and new), grass and other vegetable matter 

 along levees : and Spanish moss. No weevils were found hibernating 

 except in the Spanish moss, which, however, afforded an excellent 

 shelter, as the following tabulated observations made at Crowley, 

 La. j will show : 



Observations on the places of hibernation of the rice water^weevU. 



Da i.' of examination. 



1910. 



Oct. 26 



Nov. 19 



Nov. 28 



Nov. 30 



Dec.l 



Dec. 2 



Dec. 5 



Estimated 

 number of 



per ton 

 of moss. 



36,000 



28,000 



4,920 



1 , 451 



2, 666 



60,000 



34,460 



1 With the exception of a few remarks, all of the notes on hibernation of the weevils 

 must be credited to Mr. Hood, who has made the most extensive Investigations in regard 



to the subject. 



2 300 yards i 0.17 mile). 



