-l17— 
Peculiar habits of earwigs.--S. E. Crumb, engaged in a seasonal- 
history study of the European earwig (Forficula auricularia L.) says: 
"Ordinarily females either do nct depesit or they eat the eggs in con- 
finement. Attempts to hatch the eggs in the absence of the female 
have been unsuccessful. In nature the female frequently turns and 
licks the eggs and this procedure seems to be essential to hatching. 
The process of hatching has been observed. Apparently the female does 
not assist in this, although the young sometimes experience considera- 
ble difficulty in freeing themselves from the egg membrane. Young ear-— 
wigs are seen sometimes mouth-—to-mouth with the parent as though they 
might be receiving food by regurgitation, but they may have been mere— 
ly following their habit of licking which is carried out on the adult 
Or upon any dead insect which may be placed with them. The young are 
able to feed on tender plant and animal tissue soon after emergence." 
Weather at hatching time chief factor in pea aphid mortality.— 
John E. Dudley, jr., Madison, Wis., reports that "Hatching of pea aphid 
eges in hibernation experiments is completed. Forty-two hundred eggs 
were divided into five unequal parts and placed under heavy, medium, and 
light coverings of hay; some under a cover a foot above them to protect 
only from sun, rain, and snow; and some were left entirely exposed to the 
elements. Of those protected from sun, rain, and snow, ll per cent 
hatched; of those entirely exposed, 50 per cent hatched; of those under 
light cover, 25 per cent hatched; of those under medium cover, 3l per 
cent; and of those under heavy cover, 25 per cent hatched. From these 
and previous results it is quite evident that * * * the weather conditions 
around hatching time are very important * * * It is apparent that owing 
to the periods of warm weather in early April, the eggs exposed to the 
sun hatched early and in large numbers. As a contrast, those protected 
entirely from the sun's rays were very slow and late in hatching, and 
many completely mature embryos died before emerging from the shell. 
The eggs uncovered but protected above from snow, rain, and sun were 
subjected to such severe changes in temperature in March and April that 
the mortality was highest of all. * * * a warm period of several days' 
duration in late March very likely brought the eggs close to hatching. 
There immediately followed a precipitous drop to subzero temperatures, 
accompanied by snow, and the eggs were forced to withstand the full 
effect of this extreme change. It is believed that this is the principal 
reason for the low percentage of hatch." 
Food requirements of wireworms.--C. E. Woodworth, Walla Walla, 
Wash., reports: "In an experiment to determine the food requirements 
of (wireworm) larvae, involving 3,000 one-day-old larvae, it has been 
observed that after one and one-half months 1 grain of wheat was not 
quite enough and 2 or more grains was more than enough for the peri- 
od. The l-grain group was slightly smaller on the average than the 
groups receiving ® or more grains. There was no noticeable differ— 
ence in the groups receiving 2, 3, Al vandsS ¢gfains..” 
