UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 812 
Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 
L. O. HOWARD, Chief 
Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 
fe* 
May 31, 1920 
THE CLOVER AND ALFALFA SEED CHALCIS-FLY. ] 
By Theodore D. Urbahns, 
Entomological Assistant, Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
History and synonymy 2 
Distribution 3 
Character of attack , 3 
Food plants 4 
Economic importance 4 
Common names 6 
Means of dispersion 6 
Life history 7 
Page. 
Seasonal history 8 
Relative infestation throughout the 
season 13 
Parthenogenesis 14 
Control methods 14 
Hymenopterous parasites 17 
Predacious midge 19 
Literature cited 20 
INTRODUCTION. 
The chalcis-fly Bruchophagus funebris How. belongs to a group or 
superf amily of Hymenoptera known as Chalcidoidea. The habits of 
this species differ considerably from the general habits common to 
most of the other members of this group. Many of the Chalcidoidea 
are parasitic Hymenoptera, feeding, in the larval stage, upon various 
forms of insect life. B. funebris, on the other hand, is strictly phyto- 
phagous, and feeds within the growing seeds of alfalfa and red 
clover. This insect has for many years been a pest of clover seed 
throughout the Middle Western States, and has become generally 
known as the clover-seed chalcis-fly. The increased production of 
alfalfa seed throughout the Western States was followed by the 
rapid development of this insect in nearly all of the alfalfa seed- 
1 In the summer of 1912 the writer was detailed to make a study of the alfalfa-seed 
chalcis-fly (Bruchophagus fimeoris How.), and different phases of these investigations 
have been continued up to the present time, most of them being conducted in the seed 
districts of California, Arizona, and Utah. The author's studies of the distribution of 
this insect and its parasites Lave been greatly assisted through the kindness of various 
members of the branch of Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations, and by Mr. Roland 
McKee, of the Office of Forage Crop Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. Special 
credit is due Messrs. R. N. Wilson, C. N. Ainslie, V. L. Wildermuth, E. G. Kelly, T. H. 
Parks, and H. T. Osborn, who made many personal field observations in connection with 
the life-history studies of this insect. The writer is also greatly indebted to Mr. A. B. 
Gahan for his kindness in making determinations of several new parasites of B. funebris. 
136601°— 20— Bull. 812 1 
