THE TOBACCO BEETLE. } Oe 
death when oe the hed and thorax being bent downward 
‘and the legs drawn closely together. 
MATING. 
The adults generally begin to mate the second or third day after 
leaving the vicinity of the pupal cell. Mating in some cases occurred 
the first day, and was observed to take place several times during 
the egg-laying period. 
PROPORTION OF SEXES. 
The proportion of females seems to be somewhat greater than that 
of the males. Four lots which had emerged at different times from 
material kept at the laboratory gave a total of 36 males and 41 
females. One hundred beetles collected at lights at a tobacco ware- 
house at. Danville, Va., were dissected by Mr. S. EK. Crumb, of the 
Bureau of Entomology, and of these 36 were males and 64 females. 
LENGTH OF THE ADULT STAGE. 
The length of life of the adults depends largely upon the tem- 
perature after emergence. In summer, or in rooms kept constantly 
warm, the beetles die much sooner than do those which emerge dur- 
ing cool weather. Normally the adults die in from 3 to 6 weeks after 
emergence. Although the mouth parts and digestive tract of the 
adult beetle apparently are complete and they are capable of gnaw- 
ing through tobacco or other food substances to escape from the 
locality of the pupal cell, little if any evidence of feeding has been 
observed. Large numbers of adults, directly after emergence, were 
put in sealed tubes containing cigars, the open ends of the cigars 
being sealed to prevent entrance of the beetles. Several cigars pre- 
pared in this manner were kept until all adults had died, but no signs 
of feeding or injury to the cigars could be seen. Other beetles were 
kept in test tubes with small bits of leaf tobacco. In a few tubes the 
edges of the leaf had been shghtly gnawed and fine particles of the 
leaf were found. Beetles confined in tubes closed with cork stoppers 
frequently gnaw into the cork for a short distance. No evidence has 
been secured to show that cigars or tobacco are directly injured by the 
adult or beetle except when burrowing out after transforming from 
the pupa stage. Eggs are deposited and the adults apparently live 
the normal length of time whether food is present or not. At Clarks- 
_ ville, Tenn., a number of experiments were made by Mr. K. B. Mc- 
Kinney and the writer to determine whether the presence of food has 
any bearing on egg deposition or length of life of the adults. A brief 
summary of the results obtained in one series of experiments 
