88 BULLETIN ill, V. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICfLTUEE. 



Insect luvestigations, and ^Ir. V. L. Wildermuth, their notes were 

 kindly placed at the \mters' cUsposal. 



October 11, 1915, tliere were received at Melrose Highlands, Mass., 

 11 males and 6 females living and 1 female dead from ]\Ir. Caff rev. 

 These were shipped from Maxwell, X. Mex. They were inclosed in 

 jars and offered larvae of P. rapae, upon which some of them actively 

 fed imtil November 1 before entering liibernation. They are stiU in 

 hibernation at this writing (April, 1916). Many specimens were col- 

 lected on the range between May and August, 1913 to 1915, and their 

 habits studied in connection ■^ith the range caterpillar at Koehler, 

 N. Mex. 



FOOD CONSUMED BY ADULTS. 



During the summers of 1913 and 1914 adults were collected on the 

 range and one paii* each inclosed in battery jars containing earth 

 and^rec^ords kept daily of the amount of caterpillars consumed and 

 reproductive habits. ' The beetles were very numerous at Raton, 

 X. Mex., in 1913, and 15 pairs were collected for rearing experiments. 

 Several pairs fed from July 28 (date collected) until September 4 

 consumed 75, 65, 61, 57, 56, and 55 Hemileuca oliviae Ckll. larvse, re- 

 spectively, before being transferred to hibernation cages. The beetles 

 proved themselves readily predacious on the above species, having 

 averaged destropng approximately two caterpillars per day during 

 the period. Those fed in confinement in 1914 devoured H. oliviae 

 larvae from May 29 to September 5, proving predacious on this spe- 

 cies tlii'oughout, but only to a shght extent after the middle of August. 

 After that time the beetles were inactive and spent much of their time 

 beneath the sm-face of tlie soil. 



Both adults and their larvae were observed destroying the pupae of 

 H. oliviae in their cocoons, but this particular stage of the host insect 

 was destroyed more commonly by the beetle larvae than by the adults. 



REPRODUCTION ANT) HIBERNATION. 



The females in confinement and under observation at the laboratory, 

 i Koehler, X. Mex., during 1914 deposited eggs, beginning the first week 



] in Jmie and ceasing about the fii^st week in August. The eggs hatched 



1 ■ ^ infromsix to nine days. One female, dm-ing this season, deposited 60 



1 * fertile eggs between June 8 and 17; one, 31; and another, 19. The 



] latter female deposited eggs between July 13 and August lo As is 



] indicated by these records, the propagating and feeding season of the 



i adults and feeding period of the larvae extends over a long season, 



( which approximates the gro^^Tng period covered by the larval and 



1 pupal stages of H. oliviae. 



1 The adults become-more or less inactive after the middle of August 



1 to September 1 in the iield and soon seek hibernation in the ground. 



Twenty-five beetles under observation, fed in cages in 1913, were 

 £ transferred to hibernation cages September 4. The last of this lot 



t entered the ground October 12. Tlieir fii*st appearance in the field 



£ was noted May 26, 1914, indicating the approximate time of first 



■^ emergence. Those kept in jars containing 5 to 6 inches of loose soil 



at Melrose Higlilands, Mass., fall of 1915, descended to bottom of jar 

 , to make cavities for hibernation. 



The maximum length of life of adults of this species has not been 



definitely determined, but it is probable that they live two or three 



years. 



