OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 33 



The Experimental Results. 



The first experiment (Table 1) was to determine the effect of 

 humidity upon the length of the life cycle. The results of this 

 experiment shows that the number of offspring varies with the 

 humidity, since the temperature was kept uniform. Seven pairs 

 were bred together in each bottle of cow peas. One of these 

 batches was left in the oven as a control with no moisture or 

 calcium chloride ; a second, was placed in a desiccator ; while a 

 third was put into a container saturated with water. Since mois- 

 ture is required for metabolism, no offspring appeared in the 

 desiccator; but one and a half times as many progeny were obtained 

 with the high humidity as with the control. The length of the 

 life cycle in days was the same (45 and 46) ; moisture, therefore 

 affects the number of progeny produced. 



The second experiment (Table 2) was to determine the effects 

 of differences of temperature upon the length of the life cycle. The 

 humidity was kept constant by saturating with water. For the first 

 test thirty pairs of beetles were placed in a bottle outside of a 

 window. No offspring were obtained because the water froze. 

 Also five pairs were kept at a constant temperature of 38° C. they 

 produced 372 offspring in 16 days, while five pairs kept at 40° C. 

 produced 421 offspring within 20 days; the pairs kept at 44° C. 

 gave 396 offspring within 23 days. This proves that the number 

 of days required to produce offspring varies with temperature. 



A' third experiment (Table 3) was the same as the second 

 but with no moisture in the breeding chambers. Thirty pairs were 

 placed in the open and produced progeny at the end of 79 days, 

 as did the five pairs at 26° C, at 38° C. and at 40° C. ; while tem- 

 peratures 44° C. gave no progeny. The higher temperatures caused 

 fewer offspring because of a lowering of humidity ; while in the 

 second experiment offspring were found with every temperature 

 at 44° C. 



In the second test the bottles that were provided with ^yater 

 and placed out-of-doors produced no offspring. This is due to 

 the water freezing, destroying both eggs and larvae. The test 

 shows that in the bottles that were placed in the window without 

 moisture adults emerged finally after 79 days, proving that cold 

 weather retards this activity ; and also shows that moisture is 

 within the seeds or in the air in sufficient amounts for normal 

 reproduction. 



The effects of high temperature upon the larvae were also 

 observed ; it was found that the heat killed the larvae, when they 

 were placed in an oven from 51° to 53° C. for 20 minutes. This 



