12 



BULLETIN 812, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



HIBERNATION. 



B. funebris hibernates in the larval stage within the infested seed, 

 and the first larvae enter hibernation as early as August. In fact, 

 many larvae, after spending a part of the summer in aestivating, 

 continue into hibernation without resuming apparent activity. On 

 the other hand, large numbers of larvae of this species can be found 

 active in the seeds throughout September and October, and a few of 

 them have been found feeding in the green alfalfa seeds throughout 

 the month of December and even until they were killed by heavy 

 frosts in early January. Early spring rains, together with warm 

 days, mark the end of hibernation, for a large percentage of the 

 larvse. 



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Fig. 1. — Diagram showing development of Bruchophagus funebris. Each heavy line shows 

 the time required for one individual from the egg to the adult stage. 



In southern California the first pupae may be found in the latter 

 part of February, and these increase in great numbers throughout 

 the month of March. H. T. Osborn, formerly of the Bureau of 

 Entomology, reported B. funebris entering the pupal stage at Wel- 

 lington, Kans., during the month of March under conditions slightly 

 unfavorable to pupation. Some of the individuals continue to rest in 

 the larval stage until late in the spring, and frequently until mid- 

 summer. The greatest number of hibernating larvae are found 

 along the edges of the field, along fence lines, and in neglected seed 

 fields. In fact, they may be found wherever large numbers of in- 

 fested seeds have been allowed to remain on the fields unharvested. 



In figure 1 each heavy line shows the time required for the de- 

 velopment of a single individual of B. fwnebris. The different 

 lengths of these lines show the period of development from the egg 



