Sept. 15, 1924 
Bruchus quadrimaculatus Fab . 
299 
out food. The group of weevils which 
lived the shortest length of time pro¬ 
duced the smallest number of eggs. 
As the total length of life in all indi¬ 
viduals of a group increased, the total 
average number of eggs laid by 30 
females was 81, and during June the 
average number for 32 females was 88 
eggs. Larson and Simmons (2) found 
that during September and October the 
Table I .—Length of life of males and females and number of eggs deposited by 
100 pairs of Bruchus quadrimaculatus given water , honey , sugar water , and 
nothing 
Weevils given water 
Weevils given honey 
Weevils given sugar 
water 
Weevils without food 
or drink 
Pair 
Longevity 
of— 
Eggs 
Pair 
Longevity 
of— 
Eggs 
Pair 
Longevity 
of— 
Eggs 
Pair 
Longevity 
of— 
Eggs 
No. 
Males 
Fe¬ 
males 
laid 
No. 
Males 
Fe¬ 
males 
laid 
No. 
Males 
Fe¬ 
males 
laid 
No. 
Males 
Fe¬ 
males 
laid 
1 . 
Days 
35 
Days 
18 
114 
2 ... 
Days 
32 
Days 
10 
28 
'3... 
Days 
42 
Days 
9 
47 
4... 
Days 
16 
Days 
18 
28 
5. 
29 
21 
75 
6... 
23 
23 
121 
7... 
52 
“3 
1 
8 ... 
14 
17 
104 
■9 _ 
22 
45 
93 
10.. 
28 
10 
59 
11.. 
26 
29 
151 
12.. 
17 
12 
67 
13_ 
35 
45 
133 
14.. 
22 
22 
113 
15.. 
31 
22 
154 
16- 
17 
12 
70 
17.... 
28 
22 
151 
18.. 
23 
26 
115 
19.. 
38 
54 
142 
20- 
16 
14 
72 
21_ 
21 
21 
138 
22.. 
25 
36 
134 
23.. 
43 
27 
141 
24.. 
15 
15 
96 
25_ 
32 
11 
76 
26.. 
24 
27 
140 
27.. 
38 
*> 17 
139 
28.. 
18 
18 
124 
29_ 
34 
27 
82 
30.. 
23 
23 
140 
31.. 
56 
35 
160 
32.. 
13 
13 
78 
■33.... 
31 
45 
119 
34.. 
28 
34 
157 
35.. 
31 
34 
180 
36.. 
17 
20 
111 
37_ 
28 
20 
126 
38.. 
16 
44 
153 
39.. 
53 
21 
27 
40- 
20 
17 
103 
41_ 
34 
24 
115 
42.. 
29 
33 
120 
43.. 
36 
41 
186 
44.. 
16 
17 
77 
45.... 
26 
19 
143 
46.. 
24 
24 
140 
47.. 
36 
33 
182 
48.. 
17 
27 
48 
49_ 
29 
22 
141 
50.. 
33 
19 
94 
51.. 
35 
27 
133 
52.. 
17 
22 
73 
53_ 
26 
28 
159 
54.. 
21 
33 
145 
55.. 
24 
26 
160 
56.. 
19 
16 
59 
57_ 
24 
22 
157 
58.. 
21 
34 
147 
59.. 
37 
19 
136 
60.. 
17 
10 
.68 
61_ 
16 
16 
71 
62.. 
31 
38 
71 
63.. 
31 
33 
170 
64.. 
19 
22 
119 
65_ 
22 
23 
103 
66.. 
41 
26 
126 
67.. 
40 
31 
162 
68.. 
20 
20 
101 
69_ 
18 
26 
132 
70.. 
28 
38 
131 
71.. 
30 
41 
179 
72.. 
19 
19 
97 
73_ 
22 
23 
132 
74.. 
27 
31 
140 
75.. 
33 
36 
196 
76.. 
17 
19 
87 
77_ 
33 
51 
111 
78.. 
19 
22 
131 
79.. 
29 
47 
143 
80.. 
19 
15 
96 
81.... 
30 
20 
135 
82.. 
26 
29 
140 
83.. 
38 
42 
142 
84.. 
20 
20 
113 
85.... 
27 
19 
104 
86.. 
26 
33 
144 
87.. 
27 
40 
151 
88.. 
22 
20 
109 
89_ 
18 
40 
117 
90.. 
24 
43 
148 
91.. 
23 
45 
115 
92.. 
15 
22 
105 
93.... 
29 
48 
7 
94.. 
60 
18 
80 
95.. 
46 
39 
83 
96.. 
18 
22 
131 
•97.... 
32 
25 
138 
98.. 
40 
18 
80 
99.. 
46 
16 
24 
100. 
19 
16 
77 
Total. 
681 
681 
2,872 
694 
694 
2,997 
921 
767 
3, 304 
437 
443 12,213 
Aver. 
27.24 
27. 24 
114. 88 
27. 76 
27. 76 
119. 88 
36. 84 
30. 68 
132.16 
17. 48 
17. 72 
88.52 
Max.. 
35 
51 
159 
60 
44 
157 
56 
54 
196 
22 
27 
131 
° Female got stuck in the sugar water. 
& Female accidentally killed. 
number of eggs increased. The weevils 
receiving sugar water produced 49 per 
cent more eggs than those without food. 
As was stated earlier, daily records 
were kept of the eggs laid by each fe¬ 
male. These daily records are sufn- 
marized in Table II, which shows the 
total number of eggs laid each day 
by the weevils of each group and the 
number and percentage of these eggs 
which hatched and emerged. 
That the weevils which received no 
food were normal for weevils so treated 
is borne out by numerous observations 
from various authors. Wade (5) says 
that in Oklahoma “The number of 
eggs deposited by females varies from 
11 to more than 100, 75 being about 
the average with favorable conditions 
obtaining.” Courtney ( 8) in Texas 
found that during May, 1916, the 
average laid by 61 females was 88.52, 
the minimum number being 28 and 
the maximum 131. Throughout these 
experiments only weevils were used 
which were known to be newly emerged 
and which had not obtained food or 
deposited eggs. They were numbered 
consecutively, without selection as to 
size, color markings, or any other char¬ 
acter, and were given their food after be¬ 
ing numbered. The vials in which they 
were contained, the cowpeas on which 
they deposited, and their location in 
the laboratory with reference to light 
and temperature, were uniform for all 
groups of weevils; any difference in the 
length of life of the weevils and the 
number of eggs produced by each 
group is therefore directly attributable 
to the difference in the foods they were 
given. 
