UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 





BULLETIN No. 812 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 



May 31, 1920 



THE CLOVER AND ALFALFA SEED CHALCIS-FLY.^ 



By Theodore D. Urbahns, 

 Entomological Assistant, Cereal awl Forage Insect Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 



History and synonymy. 



Disti-ibution 



Character of attack 



Food plants 



Economic importance- 

 Common names 



Means of dispersion 



Life history 



Page. 



Page. 



Seasonal history 8 



Relative infestation throughout the 



season 13 



Parthenogenesis 14 



Control methods 14 



Hymenopterous parasites 17 



Predacious midge 19 



Literature cited 20 



INTRODUCTION. 



The chalcis-fly Bruchophagus funebris How. belongs to a group or 

 superf amily of Hymenoptera known as Chalcidoidea. The habits of 

 this species differ considerably from the general habits common to 

 most of the other members of this group. Many of the Chalcidoidea 

 are parasitic Hymenoptera, feeding, in the larval stage, upon various 

 forms of insect life. B. funehris^ on the other hand, is strictly phyto- 

 phagous, and feeds within the growing seeds of alfalfa and red 

 clover. This insect has for many years been a pest of clover seed 

 throughout the Middle Western States, and has become generally 

 known as the clover-seed chalcis-fly. The increased production of 

 alfalfa seed throughout the "Western States was followed by the 

 rapid development of this insect in nearly all of the alfalfa seed- 



^ In the summer of 1912 the writer was detailed to make a study of the alfalfa-seed 

 chalcis-fly {Bruchophagus fitiic'bris How.), and different phases of these investigations 

 have heen continued up to the present time, most of them being conducted in the seed 

 districts of California, Arizona, and Utah. The author's studies of the distribution of 

 this insect and its parasites have been gi-eatly assisted through the kindness of various 

 memljers of the branch of Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations, and by Mr. P.oland 

 McKee, of the OfiBce of Forage Crop Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. Special 

 credit is due Messrs. R. N. Wilson, C. N. Ainslie, V. L. Wildermuth, E. G. Kelly, T. H. 

 Parks, and H. T. Osborn, who made many personal field observations in connection with 

 the life-history studies of this insect. The writer is also greatly indebted to Mr. A. B. 

 Gahan for his kindness in making determinations of several new parasites of B. fimeiris. 

 1.36601°— 20— Bull. 812 1 



