5 
tn 
While our breeding records at Los Banos show that Scolia 
manilae occurs as an adult throughout the year, it is, as with 
most other insects, more abundant during the warmer rainy 
months—from June to October. At this time the males, though 
hardly more numerous than the females—which they somewhat 
antedate—are, because of their habits, much more in evidence. 

Fig. 21. Scolia manilae, 9, X 5 (after Swezey). 
Large numbers may often be seen flying back and forth over a 
bare space of ground evidently in anticipation of emerging 
females. They are on the wing both earlier and later in the “day 
than the latter, and both sexes are low fliers. 
The females are not often seen except at flowers, and. these 
they patronize only during the warmer hours of the morning. 
In the city of Cebu, Cebu I., the wasp was abundant on a decum- 
bent weed in the public square, and near Dumaguete, Negros 
I., on the blue- ae verbenaceous weed, Stachytarphe ta jamat- 
censis (L). At Los Bafios it was pretty w ell restricted to the in- 
ee blossoms of “Cucharitas,” Alternanthera versicolor 
Regel, one of the Amarantaceae. This little border plant was 
common in the garden plots at the College of Agriculture. Under 
favorable conditions both sexes could be taken in some num- 
bers at these flowers, the males somewhat more abundantly. Scolia 
is rather wary. A female on alighting on a flower will often, 
as if suspecting danger, remain alert and motionless for some 
moments before commencing to feed. At other times when busy 
feeding, she has the habit, when lightly touched on the back, 
of elevating the posterior pair of legs as if to ward off the 
offending object. In cool weather the wasps fall to ground when 
disturbed and ‘ ‘play possum.” 
