80 THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



Eight females were taken from peas and mated. These showed 

 widely varying results. One produced 3 eggs, one 14 eggs, one 

 22 eggs, one 16 eggs, one 44 eggs, and one 66. The average was 20 

 eggs per fema'e. Death took place between the twentieth and 

 thirtieth day. Average was 26. 



In order to get vigorous active females eleven pair of emerged 

 weavils were mated and run at 15° C. Results were as follows: 

 Mean number, 43. Average 2>1 . Length of life 26 days. 



A number of virgin females were also put into tubes and their 

 egg laying watched. In one female at 15° C. 1 egg was obtained. 

 In another 44 eggs were layed. Probably however this female had 

 emerged and been fertilized and had gone back into a hole. None 

 of the other seven females produced eggs at this temperature. At 

 other temperatures isolated females likewise fai'ed to lay eggs 

 except at 34° C. where one female produced 1 egg. 



Largest number of eggs was obtained at 37° C. at this tempera- 

 ture the weevils appear most active. The lensth of life is s^ven days. 

 Very few eggs are-produced if the temperature goes above 40° C, and 

 life is short. The presence of a male is a stimulus to egg laying. 

 Few eggs are layed in the absence of a male. Although there is a 

 fairly good distribution of eggs when sufficient peas are present, 

 this is not always the case. Some females regularily deposited the 

 largest number of their eggs on the side of the tube. It seems 

 to depend mostly on the activity of the female during the laying 

 period. 



At each temperature a number of isolated virgin females were 

 run with uniform results namely, no production with the two excep- 

 tions already given. Fertilized isolated females produced as many eggs 

 ■as those that were paired. This was also observed in those tubes 

 in which the male died shortly after being put into the tube. This 

 indicates that a single fertilization is all that is necessary to start 

 the jegg laying. 



At the lowest temperature the weevils in genei-al were quite 

 •inactive. In some instances when the t^t^es were turned in counting, 

 the weevils would drop f '-- 'H the peas. Closer examination would 

 reveal howe-— -^nat they were not dead. The egg production at 

 vrrts temperature however does not show so great a falling off. 

 Fourteen was the largest number produced in one day, and this 

 Was done only on one occasion. The egg production is spread out 

 over the entire period and the final number ' of eggs is not far 

 ?hort of numbers produced at the temperature at which the weevils 

 ' show greater afctivity.' " 



