﻿300 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  bersome. 
  Therefore 
  tlie 
  work 
  was 
  started 
  with 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  finding 
  

   out 
  the 
  best 
  methods 
  of 
  breeding 
  Microbracon 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  in 
  the 
  

   laboratory, 
  and 
  incidentally 
  to 
  study 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  this 
  parasite. 
  

  

  Rearing 
  technique. 
  Unfortunately 
  we 
  in 
  the 
  Punjab 
  do 
  not 
  possess 
  

   an 
  insectary 
  and 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  a 
  proper 
  breeding 
  place 
  for 
  insects 
  has 
  

   made 
  our 
  work 
  very 
  difficult 
  and 
  many 
  breeding 
  experiments 
  have 
  

   failed 
  at 
  a 
  stage 
  when 
  they 
  promised 
  to 
  give 
  interesting 
  results. 
  The 
  

   delicate 
  parasitic 
  grubs 
  require 
  conditions 
  which 
  are 
  difficult 
  to 
  attain 
  

   in 
  an 
  ordinary 
  working 
  room 
  not 
  fitted 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  breeding 
  

   insects. 
  During 
  winter 
  the 
  temperature 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  fell 
  too 
  low, 
  

   retarding 
  the 
  proper 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  insects, 
  and 
  during 
  summer, 
  

   it 
  rose 
  too 
  high 
  and 
  the 
  host-caterpillars 
  died 
  before 
  the 
  parasitic 
  grubs 
  

   had 
  finished 
  their 
  feeding 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  Microbracons 
  also 
  died 
  of 
  

   too 
  much 
  heat. 
  

  

  Attempts 
  at 
  breeding 
  these 
  insects 
  were 
  first 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  

   of 
  1919. 
  With 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  provide, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  conditions 
  natural 
  

   to 
  Microbracon, 
  twigs 
  of 
  cotton 
  attacked 
  by 
  the 
  bollworms 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  

   cases 
  potted 
  cotton 
  plants 
  thus 
  affected, 
  were 
  kept 
  in 
  large 
  gauze 
  cages 
  

   18 
  inches 
  X 
  18 
  inches 
  X 
  24 
  inches, 
  and 
  into 
  these 
  the 
  female 
  Micro- 
  

   bracons 
  were 
  liberated. 
  They 
  were 
  left 
  for 
  days 
  and 
  on 
  examination 
  of 
  

   the 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  Earias 
  we 
  found 
  that 
  none 
  were 
  parasitized, 
  and 
  no 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  discovered, 
  and 
  very 
  probably 
  none 
  were 
  laid. 
  During 
  day 
  

   time 
  these 
  parasitic 
  insects 
  were 
  seen 
  moving 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   cage 
  which 
  was 
  towards 
  the 
  windows 
  and 
  not 
  attending 
  to 
  their 
  business. 
  

  

  Observations 
  were 
  restarted 
  in 
  July 
  1920, 
  and 
  completely 
  artificial 
  

   conditions 
  were 
  resorted 
  to. 
  The 
  females 
  of 
  Microbracon 
  were 
  kept 
  in 
  

   small 
  excavated 
  glass 
  blocks 
  with 
  a 
  cavity 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   and 
  ^ 
  inch 
  deep 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  glass 
  lids. 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  

   of 
  Earias 
  were 
  introduced 
  singly 
  into 
  these 
  blocks 
  and 
  removed 
  when 
  

   paralyzed 
  and 
  oviposited 
  upon. 
  The 
  female 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  paralyze 
  the 
  

   caterpillar 
  within 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  introduction 
  and 
  to 
  oviposit 
  upon 
  it. 
  

   The 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  grubs 
  could 
  therefore 
  be 
  

   recorded 
  easily. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  beginning 
  we 
  provided 
  dilute 
  honey 
  for 
  Microbracons 
  to 
  feed 
  

   upon, 
  but 
  later 
  on, 
  this 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  unnecessary, 
  the 
  insect, 
  as 
  shall 
  

   be 
  mentioned 
  later 
  on, 
  obtaining 
  sufficient 
  nourishment 
  from 
  the 
  liquid- 
  

   oozing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  punctures 
  made 
  by 
  her 
  in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  bollworms. 
  

  

  Microbracon 
  lefroyi 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  grub 
  stage 
  an 
  external 
  parasite 
  on 
  the 
  

   caterpillars 
  of 
  Earias 
  insulana, 
  and 
  E. 
  fabia. 
  Dudgeon 
  and 
  Gough{2) 
  

   have 
  described 
  the 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  India 
  as 
  Rhogas 
  lefroyi. 
  Fletcher 
  (3), 
  

   however, 
  states 
  that 
  while 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  from 
  Lyallpur 
  agree 
  

   with 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  Dudgeon 
  and 
  Gough, 
  others 
  differ 
  markedly 
  from 
  

  

  