302 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIX, No. 6 
The weevils receiving water, honey, 
and sugar water laid 30, 35, and 49 per 
cent more eggs, respectively, than were 
laid by those which received nothing. 
From these eggs only 24, 21, and 40 per 
cent more weevils emerged than from 
those laid by the control group. There 
was a greater percentage of emergence 
from the eggs laid by the weevils which 
received no food than from those laid 
by either of the other groups, while the 
total emergence from each of the groups 
receiving food was considerably larger 
than that from the group receiving 
none. This difference in the percent¬ 
age of emergence may be accounted for 
in two ways. First, it may have been 
accidental, because frequently when the 
eggs were being removed from the con¬ 
tainers they would become smeared 
with sugar water, honey, or water. 
The probability that the eggs would 
become smeared was greatest in the 
case of the weevils which were given 
honey and least in the case of those 
given water. The percentage of emer¬ 
gence was lowest (67.87) for the former 
and highest (71.72) for the latter of the 
three groups fed. Second, the lower 
viability of the eggs laid late in the 
lives of the parent weevils may have 
caused the difference. A survey of 
Table II shows that the period of ovi- 
position of the groups receiving food 
was much longer than that of the con¬ 
trol group. It also shows that not only 
the number of eggs decreased toward 
the latter end of the weevil’s life, but 
the viability also decreased. This is 
corroborated by Larson and Simmons’ 
( 2 ) record of 61 pairs. 
Lack of space prevents the presenta¬ 
tion of the records of individual weevils 
but these records show that of those 
without food 16 laid their maximum 
number of eggs on the first day, 7 on the 
second day, 1 on more than one day, 
and 1 on the fourth day. Of those 
given sugar water 10 laid the maximum 
number on the first day, 8 on the second, 
2 on the third, 1 each on the fourth and 
sixth days, an.d 3 on more than one day. 
This tendency is carried through the 
groups, and accounts for the rapid and 
regular decrease in the number of eggs 
(Table II) for the group without food 
and the relatively slow and irregular 
decrease in the group receiving sugar. 
It is interesting to note that the total 
number of eggs of each group dropped 
to less than 100 on the sixteenth, seven¬ 
teenth, eighteenth, and ninth days for 
those given water, honey, sugar water, 
and nothing, respectively. The maxi¬ 
mum number of eggs laid by one weevil 
during one day was 34—laid by a female 
without food. While we have fre¬ 
quently noted higher individual records 
than 34, it was 8 more than the maxi¬ 
mum for any weevil receiving sugar 
water. 
It is of economic importance as well 
as of scientific interest that the last eggs 
were laid on the thirty-ninth, fortieth, 
forty-third, and twenty-second days, re¬ 
spectively, and that the last eggs which 
produced weevils were laid on the twen¬ 
tieth, twenty-sixth, thirty-fifth, and 
eighteenth da}^s by the weevils fed on 
water, honey, sugar water, and nothing, 
respectively. It appears, therefore, that 
weevils receiving sugar water will de¬ 
posit viable eggs during twice as long a 
period of time as will weevils receiving 
no food. 
The various foods apparently had no 
injurious or beneficial effect on the 
progeny. The emergence was uniform 
for all groups, the first emergence from 
eggs laid by each group being recorded 
in 53 days, or on June 29. The last 
emergence from the water-fed group 
occurred on July 31, while the date 
of last emergence from the sugar-fed 
group was August 2, the date of last 
emergence for the other groups being 
August 1. Thus the last emergence 
occurred 34 days later than the first, 
and 87 days after the first eggs were 
laid. The sexes were about equally 
divided, the 1,514 emerged weevils 
from the group not fed being 783 males 
and 731 females; the 1,870 from the 
water-fed group were 926 and 944, the 
1,836 from the honey-fed group were 
919 and 917, and those from the sugar- 
fed group were 1,077 males and 1,044 
females; thus of the 7,341 emerged 
weevils 50.47 per cent were males. 
RESULTS WITH 100 LONE MALES 
AND 100 LONE FEMALES 
Because these weevils are polyga¬ 
mous and copulate freely it is of eco¬ 
nomic importance to know what, if 
any, effect the state of celibacy has on 
the length of life of the different sexes. 
Table III summarizes the length of life 
of 100 lone male weevils which were fed 
in the same manner as were the 100 
pairs, and of the 100 males of the 100 
pairs considered in connection with 
Table II. 
