I920. Johnson. — Hibernating Ichneumon Flies. 65 



HIBERNATING ICHNEUMON FLIES. 



BY REV. W. F. JOHNSON, M.A., M.R.I.A. 



Some Ichneumon Flies, like many other insects, pass the 

 winter in the perfect form, but in a semicomatose state, 

 from which they emerge in the spring as soon as the weather 

 becomes suitable. Like the Wasps and Humble Bees 

 the Ichneumons which hibernate are females, and like them, 

 as soon as they become active, they set about producing a 

 family. A remarkable point about these hibernating 

 Ichneumon Flies is, that they belong almost exclusively 

 to the first and second of the five sub-families of the 

 Ichneumonidae, viz., the Ichneumoninae and the Cr37ptinae. 

 As will be seen below I have met with one representative 

 of the fourth sub-family, the Tryphoninae. I have also 

 met with a single representative of the Braconidae, but I 

 cannot find any notice of the hibernation of the members 

 of this family, though no doubt such occur. These insects 

 have been found in various situations, mostly in moss, but 

 also under bark and under stones. I have met with the 

 best results from moss off the stumps of the Scots Fir 

 {Pinus sylvestris), but Mr. Morley^ says he has had the 

 best results from clumps of the Tuft Grass [Air a caespitosa), 

 cutting off the tuft as near the roots as possible, and carrying 

 it home in a bag. I regret that I have not paid more 

 attention to this mode of taking Ichneumon Flies ; indeed, 

 some of my best captures were made when I was searching 

 moss for beetles, and thus were more or less accidental. 

 Unless otherwise stated, the locality is Poyntzpass. 



ICHNEUMONINAE. 



Stenichneumon culpator Schr. — Moss on Pinus stump, December. 

 Baricbneumon albicinctus Gr. — Moss in wood, March, November, and 

 December. 



B. bilineatus Gr. — Under bark of Pinus sylvestris at my house, February. 

 Ichneumon lugens Gr. — Carr's Glen, Co. Antrim, under bark of birch 

 tree, February, taken by the late H. L. Orr. 



British Ichneumons, vol. i., p. xxviii. 



