A technique for rearing the black pine aphid, Cinara cronartii T & P , and some features of its biology (Homoptera: Aphididae).

A method of rearing Cinara cronartii in the laboratory on freshly cut pine logs is descriptionbed. At 23 i?½C, 50-70% R. H., and 16-h day-length the nymphs reached maturity in about 9 days. Only two adult morphs of C. cronartii occur in South Africa, apterous and alate viviparae. On average, apterous females lived for 21 days and produced 67 nymphs during that time, alate females lived for 19 days and produced 40 nymphs. Ovulation did not occur in adults, and the number of embryos in the ovaries at final moult accurately reflected the fecundity of the apterae, The numbers of ovarioles in the ovaries ranged from 10 to 14 for apterae and from 10 to 12 for alatae. Aphids from the same colonies usually had the same number of ovarioles.