In southern France the alfalfa weevil,Hypera postica(Gyllenhal), overwinters in the egg stage within stems of alfalfa,Medicago sativaL., and the larvae ofPeridesmia discus(Walker) feed externally upon these eggs. The biology ofP. discusis discussed and the known European distribution is illustrated. During the period 1966–72 alfalfa fields in southern France were surveyed intensively to determine the relative abundance of the predator (ca. 9800 alfalfa stems were examined): egg mass predation averaged 5.8% (range: 0–13.2%) but varied widely from year to year and by location. From 1959 to 1972, 48,619 adultP. discusof French origin were liberated in 19 states, mainly in the southern part of the United States. The predator has not yet been recovered at any release sites. A technique is described for attempting the recovery ofP. discus.