THE CITRUS WHITE FLY: LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS. 75 
the next 5 dropped to an average of 7.8; Nos. 4 and 7 showed a sharp 
falling off during the second 5 days. . No. 3 is an exception to the 
above statement, maintaining an average of from 9.8 to 11.8 eggs 
per day for the first three periods of 5 days each, and during the 
fourth period of 5 days deposited as many eggs as during the first 
5 days. It will be noticed, however, that No. 3 deposited compara- 
tively few eggs during the early part of her life. In view of the fact 
that the average adult life is only about 10 days, the higher rate of 
deposition during early life has an influence on multiplication. 
NUMBER OF EGGS DEPOSITED BY SINGLE FEMALES. 
First mention of the egg-laying capacity of the citrus white fly 
was made by Riley and Howard, 1 who based their conclusions on 
the number of eggs that could be counted in the abdomen of the 
females when mounted in balsam, and not upon daily counts of eggs 
deposited by the females throughout life. Their estimate of about 
25 eggs as the probable total number of eggs deposited by a single 
female during life has been generally accepted by subsequent writers, 
none of whom has ever placed the maximum number deposited 
above this figure. The present investigations, however, have demon- 
strated that this estimate is far too low and that the number of well- 
developed eggs to be found in the abdomen of the female at any one 
time is not indicative of the number of eggs deposited throughout 
her life. Females have been known to deposit more than this number 
of eggs in a single day. As will be seen by reference to Table XIII, as 
many as 211 eggs have been actually deposited by one female, and 
should the 1 1 well-developed eggs found in her abdomen at death be 
added a total of 222 eggs would be obtained. As this female, No. 6, 
lived but 17 days and others have been known to live 28 days, it is 
even probable that as many as 250 eggs more nearly represent the 
maximum egg-laying capacity under most favorable conditions. How- 
ever, it is seldom that a female lives sufficiently long to deposit her 
full quota of eggs. With the average length of adult life curtailed to 
about 10 days, the average of 149.2 eggs per female, as shown in 
Table XIII, is beyond doubt high. An average of 125 eggs per female 
is nearer the number of eggs deposited during life in the grove. 
ACTIVITY IN OPPOSITION DURING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DAY. 
In order to determine that portion of the day when eggs are most 
freely deposited by females during summer weather, adults were 
inclosed in a rearing cage over leaves from which all previously 
deposited eggs had been removed, and allowed to remain for a period 
of two hours, when the cage with adults was removed to another leaf 
and the deposited eggs counted, with results shown in Table XIV. 
1 Insect Life, vol. 5, p. 222, 1893. 
