IMPORTATION AND HANDLING OF PARASITE MATERIAL. 165 



among those reared. A large number of the shipments has produced 

 small or large percentages of these parasites. 



Shipments of pupae collected as such would preferably be made in 

 cold storage. The most of the parasites, including those which are 

 or which appear to be of the most importance, emerge coincidently 

 or nearly so with the moths themselves, and if sent by ordinary mail 

 they are apt to issue and die en route. 



COCOONS OF HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITES. 



There is only one hymenopterous parasite of demonstrated impor- 

 tance which attacks the gipsy moth, and which spins a cocoon outside 

 of the host. This is Apanteles fulvipes , of Europe and Japan, and it is 

 probable that the numbers of its cocoons imported as such have 

 amounted to at least 1,000,000. 



Little care is necessary in packing these for shipment, other than 

 that they must not be crushed, nor yet too damp. A considerable 

 degree of dampness has been sustained without injury, but upon one 

 occasion in which they were packed between sheets of damp blotting 

 paper, there was sufficient moisture present to thoroughly soak the 

 cotton and some loss resulted. 



The Japanese have displayed no little ingenuity in devising new 

 methods for sending these, and with one exception, just noted, all 

 have been good so far as packing was concerned. One method, 

 which possessed a certain advantage over the others in permitting 

 the adults which chanced to emerge en route a certain amount of very 

 advantageous freedom, was used in a single shipment, which, partly 

 on that account but principally on others, ranks as immeasurably 

 the best ever received. The cocoons, to the number of about 1,000, 

 were inclosed in a little wicker cage, which in turn was inclosed in an 

 envelope of mosquito netting which prevented the cocoons from scat- 

 tering out, but did not hinder the escape of the adults. This cage 

 was supported in the very center of a large, otherwise empty wooden 

 box by means of strings which were passed through screw eyes in the 

 middle of each side and drawn taut. There was nothing loose in the 

 box to crush the delicate parasites, no matter how roughly it was 

 handled, and they were not only given ample space to expand and 

 stretch their wings, but they were kept inactive by the perfect dark- 

 ness (or at least were presumably so). It would be a simple matter 

 to spray a portion of one side of the box with a very fine dew of 

 honey, and if this were done the life of the adults would probably 

 be considerably prolonged. 



Cold storage is an absolute necessity if the cocoons of this parasite 

 are to be as much as a week en route. The transformations are apt 



