24 THE SUGAE-BEET WIREWOEM. 
inclies below the surface, but as the soil ui the rearing cages was 
kept clamp to the surface the}^ would evidently be found deeper under 
field conditions. 
Examination from time to time during the summer revealed no 
startling changes. Growth was very slow, but the wneworms be- 
came more active, and their skms a deeper yellow and noticeably 
harder. 
APPROXIMATE LEXGTH OF LARVAL STAGE. 
As the first larvae of this species were hatched from the eggs in the 
spring of 1912 there are no data concernuig the complete life histoiy 
or even of the way the larvae pass their first ^vinter. At the date of 
this writing (Oct. 15, 1912), however, it seems quite evident that this 
year's wire worms will turn out next sprmg to be the "small ones" 
which are always noted commg up to feed durmg February and 
March. 
At the time the beetles were bemg collected, in March, 1912, there 
was no vegetation of any kuid in some of the fields, and the wire- 
worms, coming out from hibernation, were attracted to the old beet 
roots which are found in greater or less numbers in all of the fields. 
Xearly all larvae collected at this time, to the number of over 3,000, 
were readily separable into two sizes. This has been reported before 
by other investigators.^ The smaller ones appeared to be about 
one- third grown, and very probably were the ones which had hatched 
the preceding spriag, and were consequently about a year old. The 
larger . ones showed more variation in size, occurring from three- 
fourths grown to practically mature. These larvae were probably 
1 and 2 years older than those of the smaller size. That there is 
a difference in age in the wire worms of this latter group is proved by 
the fact that of 100 isolated durmg March only 17 pupated in the 
period from July to September, and the remainder, some of which 
at the time of TSTitmg (December, 1912), had recently molted, had 
gone deep into the soil in the cages and seemed prepared to spend the 
winter. Now, from the fact that none of these large larvae could 
have come from eggs the preceding sprmg it seems very probable 
that this species ^^'ill uphold the contentions of most of the American 
writers on this subject and spend three years m the larval state. To 
be exact, it would be a trifle over three years, as Prof. F. M. Webster ^ 
has pointed out, 'Hhe larvae hatching in the spring and pupatmg in 
the late summer." Larvae have also been carried in the laboratoiy 
from June, 1910, to April, 1912, without pupatmg, so it seems evident 
that the larval stage could not be less than three years. 
1 Eleventh Report on the Noxious. Beneficial and other Insects of Xew York. By Asa Fitch. M. D.. 1S66. 
2 Underground Insect Destroyers of the ^Mieat Plant. By F. M. Webster. Bui. 46, Ohio Agr. Exp. Sta., 
1892. 
