884 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



to bore through the layer of sawdust. Apparently the sawdust 

 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 

 larvae are placed should be made with great discretion. Frequent exami' 

 nation causes disturbance which the larva; 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 unls:nown and it is 

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

 pupating or may have pupated. 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 dry wood, especially the Buprestids, cannot endure 

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



Root-borers, such as HepiaUds, 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 Jlower-huds or larvae which eat petals of flowers, require a 

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



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

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

 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 tr oughs and the fruits 

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

 when full-fed will go into the earth and pupate there. When the fmits 

 are succulent like pumpkin 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 pupas 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 larvae bore into fruits for the seeds which they eat. Common 

 examjjles are Etielki boring Khesari {LatMjrns sativus) and other pods, 

 Heliothis armigera, Exelastis and Catochrysops boring arhar pods, and 

 Virachola boring pomegranates. Such larvae require a supply of green 

 pods and fruits and are easily reared. Bruchids 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, Elaterld, Curcuhonid and ChrysomeUd 

 larva?, live underground and are best kept in glass jars ^vith ample moist 

 earth and provided with roots, principally of grasses. The roots supplied 

 must be fresh* 



