GARDEN FLEA-HOPPER IN ALFALFA. 17 
LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS. 
Difficulty was experienced in securing life-history records during 
the months of June, July, and August, because of excessive heat. 
Much patience was needed to bring the adults through the months 
of January and February, the natural hibernating period. To have 
the specimens under close observation it was necessary to confine 
them under more or less artificial conditions. The death rate under 
these conditions was very high. The combined lengths of the egg, 
nymphal, and adult stages under conditions at Columbia, S. CL, 
varied with the temperature, being from 58 to 94 days, with an 
average of 76 days for all conditions. 
MATING. 
Mating usually takes place soon after the individual reaches matu- 
rity. In the series of experiments conducted by the author it took 
place from 5 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes after the last instar 
matured, usually occurring in the daytime. The time covered in 
the process of mating as recorded in a series of six experiments ranged 
from 30 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes. After mating, the indi- 
viduals in each case were observed to move in opposite directions 
and seek, suitable places for feeding. 
The brachypterous females are much more abundant throughout 
the year and were used in nearly all of the life-history experiments. 
The macropterous female, however, which is very rare, was found 
to be fertile and to deposit fertile eggs as does the brachypterous 
form. 
OVIPOSITION. 
During the spring, summer, and fall, oviposition begins about 4 
days after mating according to Tables VI and VII, and was observed 
to take place principally during the night or early morning (see 
Table VII). 
Individuals of Halticus citri almost invariably oviposit on those 
portions of the plant where previously they have been feeding, the 
leaves usually being selected with a preference for the upper side 
(see Tables I, II, and III). In some instances, however, during the 
late fall and winter in cage experiments (see fig. 16) it was observed 
that oviposition took place in the stem of the plant and also in the 
cork which constitutes the bottom of the cages. 
