370 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 11 
Rearing Methods 
To obtain eggs, adults reared from puparia and later others collected 
in the open were enclosed with a potted Chenopodium plant in a large 
lamp chimney cage. The lamp chimney was at first pressed into the 
soil and the top covered with a piece of cheese cloth. This did not 
prove satisfactory as moisture collected on the inside of the chimney 
in large drops in which the flies were continually getting wet after which 
they would stick to the glass and finally die. To overcome this the 
chimney was raised from the dirt on a three inch cjdinder of fine brass 
screening and the top was closed by a square of screening held in place 
by a small weight which hung down into the top of the chimney. In 
the brass screening around the base a small hole was cut into which 
w r as inserted a piece of glass tubing plugged with cotton. This cage 
allowed air to circulate freely, prevented moisture from condensing on 
the inside of the chimney, and provided an easy way of introducing 
adults without disturbing those already in the cage. The screen at 
the top could be very easily removed and there was no danger of the 
breaking of elastic band or slipping of string as sometimes happens 
with cheesecloth coverings. 
Eggs were hatched and larvse were reared in round tin boxes one and 
one-half inches in diameter and one-half inch deep. These were half 
filled with plaster of Paris, which provided a* smooth, velvety, moisture 
retaining surface. Several sprouting Chenopodium seeds, five large 
sugar-beet root lice and one maggot were generally placed in each box. 
The small rootlets sent out by the sprouting seeds were fed upon by 
the root lice, which in turn were fed upon by the maggot. The con¬ 
tents of each box were examined daily under the binocular microscope 
and additional root lice added to bring the number up to five. A few 
drops of water added to the plaster of Paris each day kept the seedlings 
growing and brought about moisture conditions in the box closely 
approaching conditions found in moist soil. 
First Appearance of Adults 
The adults emerge from overwintering puparia during May and 
early in June. The earliest appearance noted tvas on May 19, 1915, 
when newly emerged adults were seen in a sugar-beet field at Edgar, 
Montana. On May 22, 1911, large numbers were seen crawling about 
on the surface of the ground in a sugar-beet field at Bozeman. The 
field had been soaked by recent rains and the day was warm and 
bright, conditions which seem to hasten the emergence of the adults. 
When the newly emerged adults reach the surface of the ground their 
wings are unexpanded and they crawl about for some time before be¬ 
coming able to fly. 
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