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Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society.
VOL. 1 SUMMER NUMBER
June 215 1917
tie ys “2
THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY
ITS HISTORY AND AIMS) ~*~ 7/opy,)
On January 5, 1916, eleven men interested in entomology, met
at the University of Florida and formed the Florida Entomolog-
ical Society. The editor of the Entomological News, published
in Philadelphia, in noting this event, stated that ours is the first
entomological society to be formed in the South. The first of-
ficers were: President, J. R. Watson, Experiment Station; vie
president, Wilmon Newell, Plant Commissioner; secretary-ti: :
urer, R. N. Wilson, U. S. Bureau of Entomology ; member of the
executive committee, Dr. H. S. Davis, Department of Zoology,
University of Florida.
Since then monthly meetings have been held except during the
summer months, June to August. Several special meetings have
also been called.
There is presented at each meeting one or more papers on
some entomological subjects. These are freely discussed by the
members present. Under the heading of “Brief and Timely
Notes” members present observations on insects that appear to
The Kny-Scheerer Corporation
Department of Natural Science
404-410 West 27th St., New York, N. Y.
Entomological Supplies and Specimens of every description
Illustrated catalogue on application
2 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
be of interest at that time, review publications or some other
event of an entomological nature. This has been one of the most
interesting feasures of the meetings. The titles of the papers
so far presented are:
FUNGUS DISEASES OF SCALE INSECTS AND WHITEFLIES—Dr. EL.
W. Berger.
THE VELVET-BEAN CATERPILLAR, Anticarsia gemmatilis—J. R.
Watson.
SOME METHODS OF HATCHING, REARING AND SHIPPING IN-
SECTS—R. N. Wilson.
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF INSECTS ON NURSERY STOCK
— ft, MO Byrne.
SOME FLORIDA APHIDS—A. C. Mason.
THE DICTYOSPERMUM SCALE—A. C. Mason.
COLOR FORMS OF THE LUBBER GRASSHOPPER—F. N. Wilson.
Delphastus Catalinae—A LADY-BEETLE FROM CALIFORNIA
WHICH FEEDS ON WHITEFLIES—/. R. Watson.
THE OKRA CATERPILLAR—H. L. Dozier.
THE BLACK SCALE—F’. W. Berger.
_ SOME PHASES OF CHINCH BUG INVESTIGATIONS—R. N. Wilson.
THE MOLTING OF MAYFLIES—H. S. Davis.
CONTROLLING PUMPKIN BUGS IN CITRUS GROVES—J. R. Watson.
REPELLING UNDESIRABLE BOARDERS—K. EF’. Bragdon.
BuG HUNTING AS A PASTIME—Prof. W. S. Blatchley, Indian-
apolis, Ind., and Dunedin, Fla.
THE CANE BORER—J. C. Goodwin.
ARTIFICIAL REARING OF VEDALIA—A. C. Mason.
BEE KEEPING IN FLORIDA—F'rank Sterling.
LINSEED OIL IN BORDEAUX MIXTURE—E. W. Berger.
At the February meeting the Society voted to become a sec-
tion of the Florida Academy of Science. Provision was made
whereby those who, on account of the expense or other reason,
do not care to become members of the Academy, may become as-
sociate members of the Society. Such members will have to pay
only the annual dues of the Society (fifty cents.) They will
have all the privileges and rights of members except a vote.
The membership fee in the Florida Academy of Science is one
dollar additional.
The aim of the Society is to stimulate an active interest in
entomology on the part of Floridians. There is at the present
time a marked dearth of amateur entomologists in the State.
Membership in the Society is by no means limited to profes-
SUMMER NUMBER 3
sional entomologists. Anyone who is interested in, or desires
information on “bugs” may become a member. Indeed, only a
small proportion of the present members could be considered
as professionals. The desire is to include among the members
everyone interested in the insect fauna of the State, whether a
resident or not.
The regular meetings are held on the third Monday of each
month either in the late afternoon, 4:30 to 6:00, or in the even-
ing, and usually in Science Hall at the University. Special meet-
ings are called when anything of unusual interest arises. The
_ meetings are open to anyone who cares to attend, whether or
got he is a member of the Society.
‘A We are anxious to have everyone in the State who may be
i interested to become a member. Non-resident members will have
an opportunity to attend whenever they happen to be in Gaines-
vile on a meeting night. Even if they never attend the meet-
jes it should be to their distinct advantage to affiliate with us
z »»d in that way keep in closer touch with entomological hap-
_ }-nings. Each member receives a notice of each meeting with
a
‘ie subject of the paper. If it is one in which he is especially
i viterested, a non-resident member can probably arrange with
the author to see the paper. It is, furthermore, the intention of
the Society to hold special meetings when there are likely to be
‘many non-resident members in Gainesville, such as the meeting
week of the Citrus Seminar, or of canker inspectors. Perhaps,
ultimately, arrangements can be made to hold occasional meet-
ings in other cities on especial occasions, as for instance the
meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society.
Arrangements will also be made whereby members can get
such insects identified as they may care to send in. The Experi-
ment Station, State Plant Board, and the State Museum are
each getting together reference collections which will facilitate
identification.
OFFICERS AND MEMBERS
President—E. W. BERGER, Entomologist, State Plant Board,
Gainesville, Fla.
Vice-President—H. S. Davis, Prof. of Zoology, University of
Florida.
Secretary-Treasurer—K. E. BRAGDON, Dep’y Port & Ry. In-
spector, State Plant Board, Gainesville.
Member Executive Committee—J. R. WATSON, Entomologist,
Experiment Sta., Gainesville.
4 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Albrecht, C. J., Homestead, Fla.
Barnett, Harry B., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Seffner, Fla.
Briggs, Wynfred R., Student, Univ. of Fla.
Brown, A. C., Dep’y Port & Ry. Inspector, St. Plant Bd.,
Tampa, Fla.
Carter, Howard G., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Cocoa, Fla.
Chaffin, J., Asst. Nurs. Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Clark, Virgil, Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Dade, R. H. F., Asst. U. S. Bur. Entomology, Orlando, Fla.
Daniel, Leon A., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Winter Haven, Fla.
Dozier, H. L., U. S. Bur. Entomology, Columbia, S. C.
HKikenberry, H. D., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Eiland, John, Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Dade City, Fla.
Gaston, B. O., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Monticello, Fla.
Goodwin, J. C., Chief Clerk, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Hall, James E. B., Asst. Nurs. Inspector, Sparr, Fla.
Hainlin, Neal E., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Ft. Myers, Fla.
Harn, S. P., Asst. Nurs. Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Hatcher, Fritz, Ft. McPherson, Ga., U. S. A.
Haywood, Frank E., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Orlando, Fla.
Holton, Hon. J. C., Ocean Springs, Miss., office St. Plant Bd.,
Gainesville.
Hunt, Chas. M., Asst. Nurs. Inspector, Gainesville.
Innecken, Kurt F., Savannah, Ga.
Lawley, Harley H., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Winter Haven,
Fla.
Mason, A. C., Federal Horticultural Board, Laredo, Tex.
Miller, J. A., Oklawaha, Fla.
Montgomery, J. H., Grove Supervisor, St. Plant Bd., Buena
Vista, ila.
Newell, Wilmon, Plant Commissioner, Gainesville.
Nieland, F. C., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Lakeland, Fla.
O’Byrne, F. M., Nursery Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Poos, F. W., Jr., Asst. Nurs. Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Lake-
land, Fla.
Potter, E. R., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Seffner, Fla.
Prange, Mrs. N. M. G., Wilson-Toomer Fert. Co., Jackson-
ville, Fla.
Rahn, W. J., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Wauchula, Fla.
Rolfs, P. H., Dean Coll. Agr., Dir. Exp. Sta., Gainesville.
Schumacher, Henry E., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Homestead,
Fla.
(Continued on page 8)
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
TE TECOMER, LIE, TR NG SON |g OT Editor
DEM eet Is RGR Re ee eles tee Associate Editor
ae S FEN GING ett ee eee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Florida Entomological Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members of the So-
ciety—60c per year in advance; 15c per copy.
THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
At the April meeting of the Florida Entomological Society the
proposal was made by Dr. Berger that the Society publish a
periodical to be known as “THE FLORIDA BucGiIst.” The pub-
lication that herewith makes its initial bow to the entomological
world is the result of that suggestion.
As the official organ of the Society it will contain the pro-
ceedings of the meetings, including at least an abstract of the
papers presented. It will, as far as possible, publish original
contributions on entomological subjects that members of the So-
ciety may offer, and any articles dealing with Florida insects by
persons not members.
It will contain brief and timely notes on insects which, for
any reason, are of especial interest at the time, such as new
additions to the known fauna of the State, unusual outbreaks of
common or rare species, pests liable to be introduced into the
State, etc. It will also contain personal notes on members of the
Society.
A section which we hope to make of value to readers is that
of insects which, judging from past experiences, are likely to
be troublesome during the season covered by each issue, i. e.,
the three months following its publication. Forewarned ought
to be forearmed, and we hope by this means to supply our
readers with some entomological armaments. We plan ordi-
narily to give under each insect the plant it attacks, the nature
of the injury, the date of its probable appearance, control meas-
ures and references to literature.
We plan also to include reviews and notices of books, articles,
bulletins, ete.
5
6 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
We hope that each and every member of the Society will take
a personal interest in THE BUGGIST. Send us material in the
form of original articles, notes, personal items, etc., as well as
subscribers. The paper is yours.
TAKE NOTE
Our readers and members are requested to take note of the
advertisements carried in this issue. A publication of this kind
cannot be kept up without carrying advertisements to help in
paying the cost of printing. The mere fact that ads, of certain
companies appear in this paper is sufficient guarantee of their
integrity, and readers need not hesitate in recommending their
products. We should each one of us aid our advertisers in every
legitimate way, since they in their turn aid us in keeping up
this publication. If we can bring profitable returns to those
companies it will mean more advertising matter for us and a
larger and better publication will naturally result. This is not
a magazine for profit, and every cent received will be used in
making THE FLORIDA BUGGIST worthy of the perusal of anyone
interested in the class of subject matter with which it deals.
KK: EB:
BRIEF AND TIMELY NOTES
On February 25 an adult specimen of the Mourning-cloak
Butterfly (Vanessa antiopa, L.), was observed by Prof. J. R.
Watson at Gainesville, Fla. This appears to be its farthest
south record. .
The Cottony Cushion Seale (Icerya purchasi, Mask.) is now
known to occur as far north in Florida as Gainesville. Avail-
able information indicates that the pest came to Gainesville on
contraband nursery stock from Pinellas County.
The caterpillar of the Spice-bush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus,
L.), has twice been observed feeding on camphor at Gainesville,
and one adult reared. In one instance the caterpillars were re-
ported as abundant.
The Greenhouse Thrips (Heliothrips haemorrhodalis, Bouche)
is now uncommonly severe in the State on citrus, avocado, man-
go and coleus.
The Citrus Spiny Whitefly (Alewrocanthus woglumi Ashby)
is reported as severe in Cuba, Jamaica and New Providence.
SUMMER NUMBER (
This pest is not in Florida. It is estimated that it would even-
tually cost approximately $3,500,000 to spray the 21,000,000
citrus trees now in Florida three times per year in order to
control it if introduced. This is 100 times the amount of money
that the State Plant Board now spends annually to keep it and
other insects and diseases out, and to keep those already in
from further spreading. This estimate does not include the cost
of eradicating canker.
Among the bulletins recently put out by the Fla. Ag. Exp.
Station are Bul. 134 on Florida Truck and Garden Insects, and
Bul. 186 on the Control of Root-knot by Cyanamid.
Mr. H. L. Dozier, Laboratory Assistant in the Dept. of En-
tomology of the Expt. Station, and a charter member of our
Society, has accepted a position with the U. S. Bur. of Ento-
mology and is located at Columbia, 8. C. Mr. Dozier took his
master’s degree in entomology at the University in June. His
thesis, “An Ecological Study of the Piney Woods and Hammock
Insects of the Gainesville Region,’ may be found in the Uni-
versity Library.
Mr. A. C. Mason, also a charter member of this Society, is
now with the Federal Horticultural Board, U. S. D. A., and is
located at Laredo, Texas.
Prof. H. S. Davis, the vice-president of our Society, will spend
the summer vacation at the U. S. Bur. of Fisheries Laboratory
at Fairport, Iowa.
Our Society has already contributed two members to the
military forces of the nation.
Professor W. S. Blatchley, author of “Coleoptera of Indiana”
and “Rhyncophora of the Eastern United States,”’ addressed the
Florida Entomological Society at Gainesville on the evening of
February 5th. The subject presented was “Bug Hunting as a
Pastime.” Professor Blatchley is not a newcomer to Florida,
and now spends a part of each year at his winter home at Dun-
edin. Other books written by him are “Boulder Reveries,”
“Woodland Idyls,” and his well-known Florida book, “A Nature
Wooing at Ormond-by-the-Sea.”
March 29, 30 and 31, the Association of Cotton States Ento-
mologists held their meetings at the University of Florida.
Timely topics in regard to plant quarantine regulations were
discussed. Besides entomologists, many of whom have charge
of inspection and quarantine work, other chiefs of inspection
departments of other states, including those in charge of Citrus
Canker eradication, were present. The district inspectors in the
8 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Citrus Canker eradication work in Florida had also been invited
to be present. One whole day was therefore given up to a
discussion of Citrus Canker. Among the prominent visitors
present from without the State were: K. F. Kellerman, Wash-
ington, D. C.; W. D. Hunter, Washington, D. C.; A. C. Morgan,
Tenn.; R. W. Harned, Miss.; Geo. G. Becker, Ark.; E. R. Jones,
La.; E. Lee Worsham, Ga.; E. L. Ayers, Texas; Geo. L. Peltier,
Ala.; W. E. Hinds, Ala.; J. B. Garrett, La.; W. A. Thomas,
S. C.; Dr. O. F. E. Winberg, Ala., and Dr. W. H. Ludewig, Ala.
On the evening of March 29th, the Florida Entomological So-
ciety gave a smoker to the visiting entomologists and others at-
tending the Association of Cotton States Entomologists, at
which Florida products only were served, namely, grapefruit
juice, giant pecans, oranges and other citrus fruits, and Gaines-
ville-made cigars. About 200 attended the smoker. Dr. E. W.
Berger gave a brief account of the artificial rearing of Vedalia,
or Australian Lady Beetle, and the propagation of the Red
Whitefly Fungus in pure cultures. Professor Wilmon Newell,
Plant Commissioner, was toast-master of the evening.
THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(Continued from page 4)
Stirling, Frank, General Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Swanson, A. L., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Cocoa, Fla.
Tedder, George E., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Cocoa, Fla.
Van Hyning, T., Curator Univ. Museum, Gainesville.
Vaughn, Molloy C., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Wauchula, Fla.
Walker, Shirley, Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Wauchula, Fla.
Wilson, C. E., Asst. Entomologist, St. Plant Bd., Gainesville.
Wilson, G. H., U. 8. A., Ft. McPherson, Ga.
Wilson, R. N., County Agr. Demons. Agent, West Palm
Beach. Fla.
Woodruff, Seth L., Inspector, St. Plant Bd., Sanford, Fla.
Yothers, W. W., U. S. Bur. of Entomology, Orlando, Fla.
ENTOMOLOGICAL FRIGHTFULNESS
If the common citrus whitefly is capable of such a thing, he
would have a nervous chill could he but see what those attend-
ing the May meeting of the Society saw. Up in the attic of the
State Plant Board Dr. Berger and Mr. Wilson have some two
thousand bottle-cultures of Red Aschersonia, or Red White-
fly Fungus, ready to send out to whitefly afflicted growers as
soon as the rainy season sets in.
SUMMER NUMBER 9
ENTOMOLOGY IN THE PREPAREDNESS CAMPAIGN
It is very important now, when the fortunes of the Nation
may be at stake, that all the crops planted should produce the
most possible. The cost of plowing, fertilizer, seed and culti-
vation is much the same whether a grower gets a half crop or
a whole crop from the investment. At all events, a little greater
effort and watchfulness at the critical time may result in a full
crop, whereas letting up at a certain stage may result in getting
only half a crop.
It appears to be a fact that, when a crop is planted in greater
quantity, “bugs” are likely to attack it in larger numbers. We
cannot attribute foresight to the “bugs,” of course, but the
farmer creates the opportunity and the bug, if about, takes it,
on the principle, I presume, that ‘“‘Nature abhors a vacuum.”
Given a place to live, something will find it, thrive and multiply.
It is apparent, therefore, that those who are trying to do their
“pit” toward assuring the food supply of the Nation may ex-
perience much greater losses than usual from insect depreda-
tions, unless they keep a sharp lookout. Watch that bug, and
swat that bug are imperative commands, voiced by the law of
self-preservation. Now is the time, also, when growers should
make more and better use than ever of the agencies provided
by the government, state and federal, for the purpose of assist-
ing in the control of insect pests and diseases. Of such agencies
there are now several: The Florida Experiment Station and
the State Plant Board, both at Gainesville, and the Bureau of
Entomology, U. S. D. A., Washington, D. C. This latter agency
also maintains two resident entomologists in Florida, namely;
Mr. W. W. Yothers at Orlando and Mr. J. B. Gill at Monticello,
Fla. While each of these agencies has its peculiar field of work,
letters and specimens addressed to each will be promptly re-
ferred to the proper agency when necessary.
Entomologists all over the country are now making greater
efforts to assist in the control of insect pests, by forecasting
outbreaks, furnishing accounts of remedies to the press, and in
other ways. The Bureau of Entomology, U. S. D. A., Washing-
ton, D. C., has inaugurated an “Emergency Entomological Serv-
ice” which has for its object the gathering of information on
insect outbreaks and furnishing timely information as_ to
methods of control. This Bureau, under the direction of Dr. L.
O. Howard is stationing additional entomologists in many
states, in some instances in cooperation with experiment station
i
10 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
entomologists, and also has the cooperation of other federal
and state agencies for reporting outbreaks of injurious insects.
Finally, it becomes the duty of all growers to keep a sharper
outlook than ever over their crops, to report the first symptoms
of insect depredations and to send specimens, in order that
no efforts may be omitted to save the crop, and that they may
be doing their full share in the “preparedness” program.
IBY Vio, 18%
SOME INJURIOUS INSECTS
The whitefly (Dialeurodes citri) has received a bad jolt this
season over most of the State. The February freeze defoliated
the trees, taking the larvae down with the leaves to perish on
the ground as the leaves dried out. But let no grower flatter
himself that the pest has been eradicated. Hosts other than
citrus, such as wild olive (Osmanthus americanus), japonica,
privet, etc., carried thru enough for “seed.” The larvae were
not. directly injured by the cold but came thru in good shape
on any plant whose leaves did not drop. - With plenty of new
leaves on which to breed, the third generation of larvae due in
August and September, will, doubtless, in many localities be-
come sufficiently abundant to make spraying imperative. Don’t
waste your money on ‘“‘cure-alls.””’ Use the parasitic fungi dur-
ing the rainy season; after that the paraffin oil sprays. See
Circular 168,-U. S. Bur. Ent. or Bul. 123, Fla. Age. Exp. Sta.
The Boll Weevil will “hit the trail’ for his annual “hike” in
August. He will probably get about to Ocala this fall unless
someone has given him a “lift”? in some cotton seed.
Some scattering specimens of the Fall Army Worm (Laphyg-
ma. frugiperda) have been observed about Gainesville. This
may or may not mean an outbreak later. This insect, also called
the Southern Grass Worm, attacks especially plants of the grass
family. Spray plants with lead arsenate, using two pounds to
fifty gallons of water.
In August a pretty, velvety looking caterpillar will probably
be found defoliating the vines in many places. It is the Sweet-
potato Caterpillar (Prodenia Sp.). Spray as for the Fall Army
Worm or use the cut-worm bait.
- Have you tried the new remedy for chicken lice developed by
the U. S. Bur. of Entomology—sodium fluoride? The editor
has and reports it to be the best ever. Dust it on the old hen
by. the “pinch method, i. e., apply a pinch to her head, two to
SUMMER NUMBER lek:
her breast, two to her back, one under each wing, one around
the vent, and one under each thigh.
Time to stop up the chimney with a wad of paper to keep
out the malaria-carrying mosquito. It is taken for granted that
no reader of THE BUGGIST will be foolish enough to live in an
unscreened house.
The Velvet-bean Caterpillar has commenced his northward
migration. By August he will need attention. Velvet beans
are very sensitive to arsenic compounds but by mixing it with
air-slacked lime one can dust the vines with lead arsenate. Use
a dusting machine; the old bag and pole method does not spread
it evenly enough. See Bul. 130, Fla. Ag. Exp. Sta.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Tithe
Pepper Publishing & Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
To prevent rust on citrus fruits use our
lime-sulphur, the perfect spray for mites
f APOPKA, FLORID
oe
For scale or whitefly use our emulsions
0.Painter Fertilizer Company
Now is the time to spray for trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. There is no better spray than
Sulpho-Citrol
the new lime Sulphur spray. It adheres about twice as long
as the commercial lime Sulphur.
OUR INSECTICIDE DEPARTMENT
is the largest in the state. We carry a full line of all first
class insecticides and fungicides.
Arsenate of Lead —Swift’s or Corona, DeVoe’s
Bluestone
Bordeaux Mixture
Genuine Avenarius Carbolinium
Caustic Soda
Carbolic Acid, crude
Copperas
Fish Oil Soap
Soluble Sulphur Compound
Sulphur Flowers, etc.
Fresh stock of goods always on hand.
IN OUR SPRAYING DEPARTMENT
we carry only the best and most reliable; such as Atsco
Power Sprayer, Leggett’s Champion Duster, Lowell’s Com-
pressed Air Sprayer, One Man Sprayer, and Gould’s Sprayer.
Write for booklet and prices.
0. Painter Fertilizer Company
JACKSONVILLE, ‘REAe
oOhe
Florida Bugsgist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society.
VOL..1 AUTUMN NUMBER aN /NO.2
September 21,1917 7. |
| WFR O83 197
THE SWEET POTATO ROOT WEEVIL IN FLORIDA*
By K. E. BRaGpon Sroka
The sweet potato root weevil (Cylas formicarius) is a little
blue and brown beetle about a quarter of an inch in length
and closely resembling an ant. The abdomen is of a bright shiny
blue color, the thorax and legs are reddish brown, and the head
and snout are black.
- This insect infests sweet potatoes and similar plants, such as
the morning glory. It seems to be particularly fond of the wild
- morning glory plants which grow along the Florida coast and are
commonly known as “‘sea beans.” The eggs are laid on the stems
or crowns of the plants. White grubs shortly emerge from these
and bore up into the stems or down into the roots or potatoes.
After a certain length of time the grubs assume the pupal stage
(still white or slightly tinged with yellow) and subsequently
become adult beetles with their striking colors.
Since the entire life cycle is passed within the host, and the
adult emerges only after complete maturity, it can be readily
seen that there is no method of applying remedies in the field
that will reach the insect; and that, when it is once once well
established, the crop is at its mercy. As this weevil has no
mercy, and also has a tendency to raise a large family, it often
happens that fifty per cent or more of the potatoes are ruined
by the time the farmer is ready to dig them.
However, being an industrious individual, Mr. Weevil is not
content with having accomplished this much. The farmer may
carefully sort out what appear to be the sound potatoes for his
winter’s store, but all in vain. It is practically impossible to
detect his presence in every potato, and a number that are in-
fested are almost sure to be stored with the sound ones. When
*A revision of a paper read before the May meeting of the Society.
14 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
he finds himslf surrounded with an unlimited supply of food
that has escaped his ravages in the field this prolific insect im-
mediately sets to work to finish the job. When the good house-
wife opens the bank or storehouse she finds that Mr. Weevil and
his large family have been enjoying the fine pile of provisions
so conveniently stacked up for him, and she is exceedingly for-
tunate if she can find any of the vegetables that are fit for
consumption. Should she happen to place an infested potato in
the pot or oven by mistake, the one who attempts to eat it will
immediately decide that he doesn’t want any dinner anyway,
and will probably leave the table in a frame of mind similar to
‘the taste in his mouth.
Unfortunately this insect has already been found in eight
counties of Florida—Baker, Brevard, St. Lucie, Palm Beach,
Broward, Dade, Monroe, and Sanibel and Captiva Islands in
Lee. Years ago it was reported in Manatee County, but recent
investigations have failed to find any traces of it there. It also
infests other Gulf States and the West Indies. In this country
it seems to confine its major activities to a belt of about 70
miles from salt water, which would include all of Florida, but
outbreaks may occur considerably beyond this belt. Infested
shipments of sweet potatoes have been intercepted at Key West
and Tampa, coming from Cuba.
In sections where the sweet potato root weevil has become
well established, particularly in Florida, it is practically impos-
sible to produce sweet potatoes commercially ; and one may con-
sider himself fortunate if he can produce enough for table use.
When we consider. the fact that everything in the nature of
food is now at a premium, and that the sweet potato is one of
the staple food products of this state (particularly for the man
of moderate means) we can readily understand how very se-
rious the general dissemination of this pest may become. It is
of extreme importance that the further distribution of this
insect be stopped NOW, and that some method of exterminating
it in the sections already infested be adopted.
Fortunately, the insect does not travel very far of its own
volition. It can, however, be sent any distance in infested
potatoes, draws or slips. Infested areas should be placed under
a strict quarantine; no vines or slips should be moved from
these areas under any circumstances; and potatoes which are
stored or sold should be fumigated with carbon bisulphide. Care
should be taken to store potatoes at some distance from any
AUTUMN NUMBER 15
infested fields, and no potatoes, roots or vines should be left in
the fields but should be cleaned up and destroyed. If the grow-
ing of sweet potatoes could be entirely abandoned within in-
fested areas for a year or two it is probable that the weevil
could be starved out unless morning glory plants were present.
Extreme care should be taken by everyone who contemplates
selling or purchasing sweet potato vines for planting. The
purchasers should find out from the state authorities (The State
Plant Board, Gainesville, Fla.) if the sections from which they
expect to make purchases are known to be infested, and should
insist that plants be accompanied by certificates of the State
Plant Board. Sellers should have their premises inspected by
competent inspectors before offering plants for sale. This is a
patriotic duty on their part, since they are not only likely to
ruin the crops of their customers, but may be the means of
materially reducing the food supply of the state and nation in
this time of great need.
Recent rulings of the State Plant Board have prohibited the
importation from other states and countries of sweet potatoes
or vines, and have established quarantines on certain areas
within the state known to be infested. Everyone dealing in
sweet potatoes should inform themselves of these rulings before
making shipments.
-Whoever discovers an insect that resembles the description
given should immediately send it to the porper authorities after
killing it in alcohol, gasoline, kerosene, or other similar sub-
stance. Complete data as to when and where found should ac-
company the specimens.
A survey of the State has already been inaugurated by the
State authorities, and the Federal government has already de-
cided to take active steps looking towards its control or eradi-
cation.
HUMBLE-BEE
Burly, dosing humble-bee,
Where thou art is clime for me.
Let them sail for Porto Rique
Far-off heats through seas to seek
I will follow thee alone,
Thou animated torrid-zone!
(Emerson—The Humble-Bee.)
16 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
WHAT THE FLORIDA CITRUS GROWER NEEDS *
By W. W. YOTHERS,
Bureau of Entomology, Orlando, Fla.
For several years we have wondered why so many of the
prominent citrus growers failed to appreciate the full value of
insect control. We have visited many growers who have an
enviable social standing, superior intellect, and who have
amassed more or less wealth, who were not interested in the
control of insects on their trees by any artificial means. We
must confess that this attitude has dampened our enthusiasm
and has therefore hindered us in our work. We have had meet-
ings of the Florida Horticultural Society for 30 years, we have
had a State University for many years with short courses and
seminars for the dissemination of knowledge, and this labora-
tory has been located in Orlando for nine years, but for some
reason many of the citrus growers have never been reached and
know nothing of any researches which have been done in this
State. Many of them do know about the researches, but are
not interested enough to take action.
More than a year ago we visited a community and the result
of this visit gave us our first idea as to the needs of the Florida
citrus grower. After eight years residence the idea came to us
as to what the trouble might be. We have decided that it is
practically useless to talk to the people about: some insect or
animal which they have never seen and about which they can
form no idea as to its appearance, how it gets its living, or
what injury it might do. It is equally useless to write learned
bulletins on a pest whose appearance the grower has no con-
ception of and knows nothing of its life history or biology.
Bulletins of course are all right if a grower knows or under-
stands what he is reading about. We decided more than a year
ago that the lack of entomological knowledge was the funda-
mental difficulty of the growers. Most of them do not know
rust mites or their eggs even if they chanced to see them.
Neither do they know where they are found, either in the summer
or in the winter. They do not know if they have the appearance
of an elephant or a monkey. Nor do they understand the ap-
pearance of scale insects or the whitefly any better. A great
many growers do not know that nearly all the injurious insects
*Published by permission of the chief of the Bureau.
AUTUMN NUMBER 17
on citrus insert a beak into the trees for the extraction of
juices. Neither do they know what this beak looks like, nor do
they know the appearance of the young insects.
About a year ago we visited the foreman of six groves in
company with the State Superintendent of these groves. We
carried a binocular microscope with us in order to show each
foreman the insects present. First a trip was made through
the grove and such pests as were present were found and more
or less instruction was given in the grove. Samples of these
pests were then taken to some convenient place where they
were examined under the microscope. An attempt was made
to be more or less systematic in presenting this information.
We showed them the eggs, young and adults of the most serious
pests in their particular grove. No attempt was made to give
instruction about insects which were not found in the grove.
We also attempted to give instructions regarding beneficial in-
sects, parasites and friendly fungi. Methods for the control of
these pests were then discussed as each insect was examined.
It would appear that this trip was of great value to the fore-
man in question, and the superintendent asked me to set apart
a week so that the men could come to Orlando for further in-
struction.
- Since this first series of meetings met with such success it
was thought advisable to have additional meetings where the
growers of a community might take advantage of seeing insects.
We held six meetings, all of which were apparently very suc-
cessful. It was soon found out, however, that such instruction
and demonstrations should be accompanied with either a
printed or a mimeographed synopsis of the information given.
This office has had in mind for some time the preparation of
such a course for those people who have spraying demonstra- -
tions for this office, but so far nothing has ever been done.
These meetings have demonstrated to this office that a labora-
tory, or a demonstration, or a seminar should be carried to the
grower as an individual. We see that our efforts in having the
individual come to us have not been entirely satisfactory or
successful. It is now up to us to take the results of our re-
searches direct to the grower. This is now being done to a
limited extent by the county demonstration agents and we look
to them to add a half million dollars annually to the citrus in-
dustry.
18 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
THE ANOPHELES MOSQUITO IN RELATION TO MALARIA
AND AGRICULTURE *
By C. E. WILSON
In considering the recent development, as brought to light, in
the past few years on the role of insects as transmitters of
disease, I think best to give very briefly a general history of
this development.
From all appearances it is natural to suppose that insect
transmission of disease has come abruptly into prominence;
this, however, is not the facts, for at no time and in no case
have great movements or great discoveries been produced sud-
denly. Centuries ago there was suggested the possibility that
insects were associated with the cause of disease and through
these early suggestions we have obtained our present knowledge.
Perhaps one of the earliest references to this subject is by
an Italian physician, Mercurioles (1530-1607). This was dur-
ing the period of the plague or “black death.” In regard to
its transmission he wrote: ‘‘There can be no doubt that flies
feed on the internal secretions of the diseased and dying, then,
flying away, they deposit their excretions on the food of neigh-
boring dwellings, and persons who eat of it are thus infected.”
Another of the early writers who deserves consideration is a
German Jesuit named Kircher (1658.) He discovered bacteria
long before Leeuwenhoek, and to these attributed the cause of
disease.
Passing to almost modern times we find in 1848 that Dr.
Josiah Nott of Mobile, Ala., published a rather remarkable
paper on the cause of yellow fever and malaria, yet his work
has been greatly overrated and his theories of mosquitoes,
aphids and cotton worms as causative agents were used without
the significance of modern science.
In 1853 Beauperthuy, a French physician, discussed the role
of mosquitoes in transmission of malaria. In regard to Beau-
perthuy’s work Boyce says: “It is Dr. Beauperthuy whom we
must regard as the father of the doctrine of insect-borne dis-
ease.”
A definite and conclusive mass of argument to support the
belief of malaria being transmitted by mosquitoes was brought
about in 1883 by an American physician, A. F. A. King, and
*Read before the June meeting of the Florida Entomological Society.
AUTUMN NUMBER 19
about the same time Dr. Finley of Havana, Cuba, presented his
facts in regard to mosquito transmission of yellow fever.
To return to the topic of discussion for this evening, we find
as intermediate hosts for the malaria plasmodum, three species
of Anepholes mosquitoes, namely: A. crucians, purely south-
ern species; A. quadrimaculatus, a species of general distribu-
tion; and the third species causing the transmission is A. punc-
tipennis, which is also of general distribution. These mosqui-
toes are the agents of transmission for a protozoan blood para-
site which causes a breaking down of the red blood corpuscles,
and produces a condition commonly termed “chills and fever,”
or malaria. In favorable conditions these fever attacks occur
every 48 hours.
Three principal types of the disease are known. They are:
1, the benign-tertian, caused by Plasmodium vivax, which com-
pletes its cycle of development every 48 hours, producing the
feverish condition. This type is wide spread and common; 2,
the quartan fever caused by Plasmodium malaria, having a
cycle of 72 hours and is more prevalent in temperate and
tropical regions, but appears rarely everywhere; 3, sub-tertian
or pernicious fever caused by Plasmodium falciparum. This is
an irregular type of fever and the life cycle of the parasite
takes place in the internal organs, principally the spleen, in-
‘stead of in the peripheral circulation.
Being accustomed, as we are, to malaria in this country,
little importance do we place upon it, yet if we should look on
the mortality side of the question, the facts no doubt appear
astounding. In Italy it causes an average annual mortality of
15,000 out of each 2,000,000 cases. In India it claims annually
1,136,000 persons. In 1911 in Alabama 70,000 cases of ma-
laria were known and of this number 770 cases were fatal.
From my personal observation in South America, and also
in the Mississippi Delta region, I should say the figures for
Alabama are very conservative.
Having briefly passed over a few of the important facts let
us turn back to the life cycle of the Plasmodium vivax and see
the importance of the mosquito in its development.
In the adult stage Plasmodium vivax is found living as an
amoeboid, intracelluiar parasite in the red blood corpuscles of
man. In the life cycle two well defined stages are noted; Shiz-
ogony (fision), and Sporogony (or spore formation).
(Continued on page 22)
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
ROR: dc. WATSON 3:3 2 8 So a el eee Editor
DR WV PD ERGER 0.2. 2 i. 2 ono a ee Associate Editor
eee PRA GION ee -2c2. tose tres £8 ct uc, cp ee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Florida Entomological Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members of the So-
ciety—60c per year in advance; 15c per copy.
In this issue we print a very timely article by Mr. W. W.
Yothers of the Orlando laboratory of the U. S. Bureau of
Entomology. To every citrus grower reading this article it
will become plain, we feel confident, that he needs The Florida
Buggist. He might also attend the Citrus Seminar at the
University Oct. 9-12 and the seminar class duirng the preceding
week.
During the quarter covered by this number the extra large
sweet potato crop of the state will be largely harvested. Es-
pecially opportune, therefore, is the article by Mr. Bragdon on
the sweet-potato root weevil. Mr. Bragdon has by no means
exaggerated the dangerous character of this pest. Indeed we
feel that he might have put considerable more ‘frightfulness”
into the article and still been well within the truth. Ever since
the discovery of the weevil in one of our chief potato producing
counties the seriousness of the situation has been apparent.
The history of this infestation should impress upon our readers
the importance of promptly reporting to some proper authority
the presence of any new crop pest. Altho this weevil has
undoubtedly been in Baker County for some years, not until
last November when specimens were brought to the Experiment
Station was the matter reported to any entomologist.
In this number appears the major portion of a paper read
by Mr. C. E. Wilson before the June meeting of the Society.
The control of malaria is perhaps the greatest problem before
the South today, except of course the trouncing of the Germans.
The conservation of human life and health is of vastly more
importance than that of wealth. Altho our State has much less
(20)
AUTUMN NUMBER 21
malaria than some others it still has too much. The editor has
on several occasions gotten himself “in bad” with certain citi-
zens of a “boosting” frame of mind by this line of talk but is
still willing to repeat the offense. Indeed to mention malaria
in a real estate office is nearly as serious a breach of etiquette
as to mention earthquakes in California.
“For every evil under the sun
There is a remedy, or there’s none.
If there is one try and find it;
If there is none never mind it.”
Now it is not necessary even to try and find the remedy for
malaria. It is well known. We need only apply it. Hence the
man that adopts the ‘‘never mind it” policy is, instead of a real
booster, in the*end a heavy “knocker,” as he hinders and puts
off the day of the State’s clean up and highest development.
He is more foolish than the proverbial ostrich which hides its
head so it cannot see the lion. An ostrich squatting on the
ground with its head hidden looks like a stone and may escape
the lion’s notice. But no such “camouflage” will work against
Anopheles nor for long against the prospective settler. There
are too many posters advertising ‘‘chill tonics” on our trees and
bridges. While it is true that we may secure almost perfect
safety anywhere in Florida by properly screening our houses
‘and staying in them after dark, we have not done our full duty
to our communities by retiring behind our screens. Let us keep
up the agitation until our neighbors’ houses and our churches
are screened. Many of our citizens are too accustomed to mos-
quitoes to notice or attach the proper importance to mosquitoes.
An amusing illustration of this occurred a few months since. A
lecturer was talking on the subject of screens and mosquitoes.
A lady in front of us turned to her companion and remarked:
“We don’t have any screens in our windows and we don’t have
any mosquitoes,’ and even as she spoke she was vigorously
scratching a collection of typical swellings on her arm.
ANT
While an ant was wandering under the shade of the tree of
Phaeton, a drop of amber enveloped the tiny insect; thus she, who
in life was disregarded, became precious by death.
(Martial—Epigrams Bk. VI, Ep. 15.)
22 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
THE ANOPHELES MOSQUITO IN RELATION TO MALARIA
AND AGRICULTURE
(Continued from page 19)
This has in a brief way served to illustrate the relation of
the mosquito to malaria and so brings us to the second part of
the evening’s topic, the relation to Agriculture.
Generally speaking, I doubt if this side of the question has
scarcely attracted your attention, yet if you stop a moment to
consider the enormous losses in crops and waste of uninhabited
land due to malaria, the results are amazing.
A beginning along this line was made by Herrick in 1903
when he showed that in the Southern United States the effect
of malaria was retarding the development of the country and
rendering practically uninhabited some of the most fertile
regions of the world, namely, the great Mississippi delta.
A more accurate estimate was made in 1909 when Dr. L. O.
Howard placed the annual money loss from’ malaria in the
United States at not less than $100,000,000.
This seemed to cause an awakening of the Bureau of Ento-
mology and as a result Mr. D. L. Van Dine has been stationed
for the past few years at Mound, La., and Mr. James K. Thi-
bault, Jr., at Scott, Arkansas. The results of their observations
were published in the Southern Medical Journal for March,
1915, and I will briefly give a review of their results.
It is generally known that the Anopheles mosquito larvae
thrive best in shallow margins of swamps, ponds, slow moving
streams, grass grown springs, and land locked pools, or in other
words the abundance of the mosquito in a region is in direct
proportion to the extent of water collections.
Malaria, unlike yellow fever, is of rural origin, and decreases
in proportion to the decrease of natural collections of surface
water; that is as large areas of land have been drained and
brought under cultivation, thus destroying the breeding places
for the mosquito. Malaria has decreased in direct ratio to the
amount of decrease in surface water.
If a map. of the United States was made to locate the
Swamps, undrained lands and lands subject to overflow, you
would find that you would also indicate:
(1) Regions known to be malarial;
(2) Areas which include the distribution of one or more
species of mosquitoes that transmit malaria;
(3) The most fertile lands in the United States;
AUTUMN NUMBER 23
(4) Lands which offer the most in crop returns, and are
less developed than any agricultural regions of similar extent
in the United States.
To show the large amount of acreage that would be included
in the above heads I will quote from Senate Document 443, 60th
Congress, lst session. ‘“‘There are 79,000,000 acres of swamp
lands and lands subject ot overflow in the United States, the
bulk of which is agricultural land of the greatest potential
productiveness. 55,000,000 acres of this land are located within
the Southern States, and 24,000,000 acres alone are in the lower
Mississippi Valley. These figures do not include 150,000,000
acres of land in the U. S. not classed as swamp land and not
subject to overflow, but which are in need of drainage. The
larger portion of this immense area also lies in the Southern
States.”
The place selected for Van Dine’s work was the Hecla Plan-
tation, on which the town of Mound, La., is located. This plan-
tation contains 3,500 acres of land; 1,800 acres being in culti-
vation and 1,700 acres in swamps and timber. The farming
is done by negro tenant families, of which there are 74. The
crops consist principally of cotton, corn and cowpeas.
The interference of malaria with these tenants amounted to
970 lost days as reported to the physician plus 487 days not
- reported. This does not include the time lost by persons wait-
ing on the patients, and does not include the cases under 8
years of age. To figure in the amount of time lost by waiting
on patients gives a total of 1,842 days lost through malaria.
The loss of this labor made an estimated loss in the crop yield
for this plantation alone of 487 bales of cotton and 4,035
bushels of corn.
Mr. Thibault’s work at Scott, Arkansas, was of very similar
nature to Mr. Van Dine’s, and the actual time loss and esti-
mated crop loss are in approximately the same ratio, so I will
not take up the time to review his results.
BEETLE
O’er folded blooms
On swirls of musk,
The beetle booms adown the glooms
And bumps along the dusk.
(James Whitcomb Riley—The Beetle.)
24 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
PERSONALS
Dr. E. W. Berger, the president of the Society, has recently
returned after two weeks spent in Ohio.
Mr. C. E. Wilson, Assistant Entomologist of the State Plant
Board, Gainesville, Fla., has resigned and gone to Bloomington,
Ind., where he becomes instructor in zoology at the University
of Indiana. Mr. Wilson will also do university work towards
obtaining the Ph. D. degree.
Mr. W. W. Yothers, of the U. S. Ent. Lab. at Orlando, has
been spending several months in Washington, D. C.
Mr. H. L. Dozier, formerly Laboratory Assistant in Ento-
mology at the Experiment Station, who has been holding a tem-
porary appointment with the U. S. Bur. Ent. at Columbia, S.
C., has secured a permanent appointment and has been sent to
Tempe, Ariz.
Mr. A. C. Mason, also formerly Laboratory Assistant at the
Station and later Assistant Entomologist of the Plant Board,
who has been in Texas all summer working for the Federal
Horticultural Board in their attempt to keep the Pink Boll-
worm out of the U. S., has been called to the colors.
Dr. H. S. Davis, our vice-president, has returned to the Uni-
versity from Iowa, where he spent his vacation in the labora-
tory of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries at’ Fairport.
A member of our Society, Mr. Kurt F. Innecken, P. O. Box
900, Savannah, Ga., desires to exchange Lepidoptera with some
one in Florida, especially in the southern part of the State.
Mr. F. F. Bibby, Assistant Nursery Inspector of the Plant
Board, has been transferred to Gainesville as Temporary As-
sistant in the Department of Enomology, in place of Mr. C. E.
Wilson, resigned.
Mr. A. H. Byers, Entomologist, Bur. of Ent., U. S. D. A., was
a recent visitor at Gainesville, where he is conducting experi-
ments in cooperation with Prof. J. R. Watson, Entomologist of
the Fla. Expt. Station.
The Pink Boll Worm has been discovered at Hearne, Texas.
This pest, whose native habitat is probably India, was intro-
duced into Mexico on cotton seed from Egypt, and is now
menacing the cotton industry of the U. S. The worm is the
caterpillar of a small moth, Gelechia gossypiella. Entomolo-
gists of the Federal Horticultural Board are making every
AUTUMN NUMBER als
effort to eradicate the same from Texas before it becomes per-
manently established.
Aschersonia cubensis, a fungus parasite of scale insects, has
recently been found infecting the Magnolia Scale (Toumeyella
liriodendri) at Gainesville, Fla., and the Palm, or Tessellated
Seale (Hucalymnatus tessellatus), on Tabernaemontana, at
Oneco, Fla. At the former place the scale has been almost
eradicated. This fungus has apparently not previously been
identified in Florida although probably quite common.
—E. W. B.
SUMMER MEETINGS
The June Meeting. On the 18th the members met in Dr.
Davis’ lecture room as usual, but there was such a large number
of visitors present, mostly students in the Summer School, that
the society adjourned, upon invitation from Dr. Flint, to the
Chemical Lecture room. Here Mr. C. E. Wilson gave the paper
of the meeting. We print it, in part, in this issue. Mr. Watson
exhibited moths of the True Army Worm (Heliophila unipuncta,
Haw). This is the first definite record of the presence of this
insect in Florida. It is surely comparatively rare here altho
abundant further north. It should not be confused with the
Fall Army Worm (Laphygma frugiperda).
_ At the meeting of the Society in July, Dr. E. W. Berger gave
a lecture, illustrated by lantern slides, on the housefly, setting
forth the dangers of this apparently harmless insect to the
health of the individual and the community. Its breeding places,
such as manure, privies, and masses of decaying filth, should be
cleaned up or kept screened to keep off the flies. Kitchens,
dining rooms, and places where food is kept should of course
be screened.
Because a large number of our members were to be out of
the city at that time it was voted to dispense with the August
and September meetings.
BEE
The bee is enclosed, and shines preserved, in a tear of the
sisters of Phaeton, so that it seems enshrined in its own nectar.
It has obtained a worthy reward for its great toils; we may sup-
pose that the bee itself would have desired such a death.
(Martial—Epigrams, Bk. IV, Ep. 32.)
26 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
NEW MEMBERS
The following have been elected to membership in our Society
since our last issue:
U. C. Zeluff, Deputy Port and Railway Inspector, State Plant
Board, Pensacola, Fla.
Fritz Fuchs, Inspector, State Plant Board, Fort Myers, Fla.
Luther Brown, Port and Railway Inspector, State Plant
Board, Gainesville, Fla.
W. N. Hull, Deputy Port and Railway Inspector, State Plant
Board, Miami, Fla.
James Kerr, Inspector, State Plant Board, Santa Rosa, Fla.
Dr. Hiram Byrd, Scientific Secretary, State Board of Health,
Jacksonville, Fla.
Harold Mowry, Inspector, State Plant Board, Santa Rosa, Fla.
C. A. Bass, Inspector, State Plant Board, Fort Myers, Fla.
R. G. Bateman, Inspector, State Plant Board, Fort Myers, Fla.
J. Marcellus Javens, Mount Dora, Fla.
F. F. Bibby, Temporary Assistant, Entomological Depart-
ment, State Plant Board, Gainesville, Fla.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Time
Pepper Publishing & Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
POCKET MAGNIFIERS
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struction? It is not enough to be able to grow a crop, but the grower must be
prepared to protect the crop during an emergency, whether the same be Frost,
or Fire, or Insects and Diseases.’’
The stems, leaves and blossoms of fall truck crops are
often attacked by aphids (plant lice), leaf-hoppers and thrips.
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ohe
Florida Bugsgist
Official Organ of une one ae ae ae ges
VOL. I WINTER NUMBER NO. 3
December 21, 1917
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45
*From U. S. Weather Bureau, Jacksonville, Fla., Feb., 1917.
30 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
THE EFFECTS OF THE FREEZE OF FEBRUARY 2-4, 1917
ON
THE INSECT PESTS AND MITES ON CITRUS.*
By W. W. YOTHERS, Bureau of Entomology,
Orlando, Florida
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND TEMPERATURES
For more than five weeks prior to February 1st, the weather
had been very warm. Many days the temperature reached 85°
F., at Orlando, Florida, and on February 1st it reached 86° F.,
and it was a very sultry, calm day. Between 6 and 8 o’clock p. m.,
about half an inch of rain fell and there was more or less rain
the entire night. The rain was followed immediately by a heavy
wind from the northwest, which continued until late Saturday
afternoon. It was quite calm, however, Saturday night.
The following minimum temperatures of localities, where ex-
aminations were made to determine the conditions of pests, were
taken from the U. S. Weather Bureau:
Putnam-County, Crescent:Gity 22) = 19°F.
Volusia «County; - Deland 22 ee gS the
Marion .County,. Ocala) 22.22 18°F.
Lake: Countys-MiUStis <2. 222 ete ee Z0CK:
Orance County. Orlando: 23.2 PAPA tie
Polk County, Winter’ Haven: ....-4) 22s PAB he
Polk County, rostprool. = ee PATE Oe
Pinellas: County; PinellassParkos eee Zoe
The zone of the lowest temperatures, from 15° to
20° F., comprise the citrus producing counties of Putnam, Vo-
lusia and Marion, with parts of Lake and Orange. In this zone
there was practically complete defoliation of all citrus trees.
Many grapefruit trees were killed to the ground and the oranges
were killed back to within, from 4 to 8 feet of the ground. Hare
in his report on the effects of the freeze+ gives the following es-
timates of the percentage of the bearing wood that had been kill-
ed: Oranges Grapefruit
Pubmani* Coun tye. ee ee 80% 90%
Molusia: Countyess eee 90% 95%
Marion © OUI yeas 08 ne eee 15% 85%
Rartotslake:Countys2 =e 30% 40%
Part.or Orange County = = 40% 50%
*Published by permission of the Chief of the Bureau. Read before the Florida Entomologi-
cal Society October 10, 1917.
+Hare, C. C., “Report on Effects of the Freeze.’ U. S. Bureau of Crop Estimates.
WINTER NUMBER om
The counties comprising the next warmest zone—temperatures
between 20° and 25°F.—with the percentage of bearing wood
killed as follows: Oranges Grapefruit
WakenC@Gumty 2... 6 7.28 u Ae 30% 40%
Oranger@ounty: <..-..... 2. 2. eee 40% 50%
Osceola Goumby 20% 25%
Role @ouniyy. 2288 foo) oe tee 20% 30%
WeSotorGounty, 22... 4.222235! 25% 35%
MeanateerCounty 2.220.225. t 20% 25%
eem@ aunty, (2.0. oan. ees 25% 35%
In this group there was about 90 to 95% defoliation of orange
trees except in a few protected places. The grapefruit trees
were completely defoliated.
The warmest of the three zones—temperatures between 25°
and 30°F.—comprises the following counties with the percentage
of bearing wood killed: Oranges Grapefruit
Pinellas (County 2-2 ae es 10% 15%
Bader County, 29. Soe Ao 8) ea: 5% 10%
palms beach County 23-322 3 a 0% 0%
Sie MEUeIesCOUMUY 2 eescs 2 ee 0% 0%
Rartibreyard County 2222 oy. 15% 20%
The defoliation in this group was not sufficient to influence the
number of white flies or other pests to a degree to be of economic
importance.
- CONDITION OF THE CITRUS TREES AT THE TIME OF THE FREEZE
Owing to the prolonged period of warm weather, citrus trees
were in a growing condition. So far as can be determined, the
condition of growth was in the same state of advancement in
every part of the state. Grapefruit trees, especially, were in the
full flush of growth. Orange trees were also growing, and many
were in full bloom. Tangerine trees had not reached the ad-
vanced state of growth of either the grapefruit or orange trees,
but some growth was taking place. Young trees, especially, were
growing vigorously. It is due to this condition of growth that
the trees were injured so severely. Tangerine trees, being quite
dormant, were not damaged very seriously and if other citrus
trees had been equally dormant, little damage would have re-
sulted from the cold.
The cold wave not only seriously damaged the citrus and other
semi-tropical trees and shrubs, but also it was of the greatest im-
portance in reducing the numbers of injurious pests which infest-
ed the trees. Some of these were frozen outright, while others
were affected when the plant was defoliated or killed.
oo THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
THE CITRUS WHITE FLY (Dialeurodes citri R. & H.)
It has been known for many years that low temperatures do
not kill the citrus white fly. It survives on privet in the tem-
peratures of North Carolina, and the recent cold wave did not
injure this species on privet in any section of the State. It is
very doubtful if the recent freeze in Florida has directly killed
any pupae of the citrus white fly. The defoliation of citrus trees,
however, has resulted in reducing the number in many places
and localities to the point of almost complete extermination.
This is especially true in all the counties of group one. In Put-
nam and Volusia Counties the only specimens of white fly pupae
were found on privet, or in groves that had been fired. In
Marion, and parts of Lake and Orange Counties, a few survived,
but not sufficient to be of importance for at least a year. This cold
has given the white fly such a severe setback in these counties
that it will be many years before it will become as abundant as
formerly. Examinations made October 3rd still showed this
pest to be very scarce in this temperature zone. No spraying
has been necessary to control this pest this season. There were
a few groves that were fired from which, and the privet, the white
fly will re-infest all the groves in the community.
Since there were scattering leaves left on thousands of trees,
there were many more of the citrus white fly in the counties of
groups 2 than group 1. Probably not more than 1 pupa in 1000
emerged. On October 3rd the white fly was about as abundant
as if no freeze had occurred, and much sooty mold appeared on
the trees. Many groves should have been sprayed during October
and November to control this pest.
In the warmest zone examinations were made only in Pinellas
County. Although there was considerable defoliation, it was not
of any great importance in reducing the numbers of the white
fly. On May 10th there were many groves that needed to be
sprayed for this insect. On October 3rd the white fly had black-
ened many groves. More perhaps were present than at any time
since its first appearance in this section.
THE CLOUDY-WINGED WHITE FLY (Dialeurodes citrifolit
MORGAN).
This species infests only citrus and is found largely on grape-
fruit. Since the grapefruit suffered such a complete defoliation
in the counties of both groups 1 and 2, and a much greater de-
foliation in group two than oranges, this species of white fly has
WINTER NUMBER Pe
not been much in evidence since the freeze. It is more than like-
ly that it will be sometime before it again becomes a seriously
injurious pest in the counties of groups 1 and 2. In group 3 it
was abundant October 3, 1917.
The injured leaves fell from 10 to 14 days after the frost and
dried up in the course of a day or two afterwards. Owing to
the length of time the freeze occurred before the regular period
of emergence of the white flies, none were observed to emerge
from the leaves that had fallen. The freeze evidently shows that
the white flies are much more resistant to cold that the citrus
trees, and were destroyed only in proportion to the extent of the
defoliation.
THE PURPLE SCALE (Lepidosaphes becktt NEWMAN).
In the counties of group one this pest was almost exterminated.
Since practically all the leaves were lost and a majority of the
trees had nearly all the branches killed back from three to six
feet, there was little chance for the survival of this species. In
addition, many were actually frozen. So far as could be ob-
served, the eggs were not frozen sufficiently to prevent them’
from hatching, so those which were located on the larger branch-
es will hatch and re-infest the trees. A few living females were
observed at Crescent City on some old fruit, still on the trees.
No living scales other than these were observed in several days’
search, from May 3rd to 6th, and again on May 24th. There
was considerable scale on some fruits in October. Reports in-
dicate that this scale insect has become fairly abundant in No-
vember, 1917.
In the counties of group two, this insect also received a most
severe setback, but not to the extent that it did in group one. All
insects on the fallen leaves, as well as those on the dead branches,
were killed and all young scales frozen. On February 20th an
examination of ten fallen leaves, but still green, was made. 150
young scales were dead and one female living. On two dried
leaves 2 dead adult females, 1 living adult female and 11 dead
young scales were found. If this leaf had been left a day or two
longer, the living female would also have been dead. No young
scale have been observed up to June on the new growth at any
place in this group of counties. The trees, as a whole, are re-
markably free from scale, due no doubt, to the effects of the
freeze. At the present time (October) this species is quite abun-
dant and not far from normal infestation.
34 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
In the warmest of the three groups the defoliation and the
mortality, as the result of the freeze, has been the cause of great-
ly reducing the number of scales, but not to the extent as to make
spraying this spring unnecessary. In Pinellas County there were
many young scales and crawlers observed on May 10th. On Octo-
ber 3rd, 1917, this pest was most abundant. No indications were
present that any had been killed by the frost.
RED SCALE ON CAMPHOR (Chrysomphalus aonidum L.).
It was impossible to make observations of this scale on citrus,
so the examinations were made where it infested camphor. Since
the camphor did not lose its leaves from frost injury, the exami-
nation showed how effective the cold had been in freezing the
scales instead of killing them by damaging the foliage. On Feb-
ruary 7th, or 4 days after the frost, extensive examinations show-
ed that nearly all stages except the eggs had been hurt by the
frost. The adult females did not have a normal appearance.
On February 16th examinations of 250 adult females, 11 im-
mature stages and 6 males were dead and 5 adult females and 9
immature stages were living. It was noticeable that more than
25% of the adult females had dead crawlers beneath the scale
covering. It was also noticeable that they had died very recent-
ly, since they were not dried up at all, but had just turned brown
during the previous week. From another tree there were 100
adult females, 60 immature and 14 males killed by the frost, and
5 adult females and 9 immature stages living. Dead crawlers be-
neath the scale coverings were also present. The two examina-
tions give 94% dead and 6% living. No doubt the percentage of
dead was greater since many of the young stages including the
crawlers were not counted.
On June 1st there was considerable red scale on the camphor
trees from which the leaves were taken for the above exami-
nations. Both on October 3rd:and December 2nd as many were
present as if no reduction in numbers had taken place.
The frost also killed this scale on privet. On February 17th I
found 25 adult females dead and none living. Three of these had
eggs with a normal appearance, and one of these three had crawl-
ers. There were not more than 15 eggs with normal appearance
and many females had dead crawlers near the opening. On June
Ist not a single specimen of red scale could be found on the
privets that were examined last spring. On December 12 there
are no red scale on these same privets.
When one takes into consideration the mortality suffered by
WINTER NUMBER 35
this species on camphor and compares it with the possible mor-
tality it suffered on citrus, from both defoliation and low tem-
peratures, it is very doubtful if more than one insect in ten thou-
sand survived. In fact, it would be nearer the truth to say that
not more than one in a hundred thousand survived the cold.
It has been impossible to make observations on this species in
group three.
THE RusT MITE (Hriophyes oleivorus ASHM.)
At the time of the cold wave there was an abundance of mites
present ; many more than is ordinarily the case at that season of
the year. These were partially frozen and partially killed be-
cause the foliage was shed.
Examinations were made at Orlando during the cold wave, on
February 3, or after the first cold night, and before the second
one. No mites could be found on a small sour tree, located in an
exposed situation, on which many thousands had been present all
season previous to the frost. On February 7th examinations of
green leaves, still on the trees, showed the mites were very scarce
compared with the number present before the frost.
The rust mite cannot live on dead fallen leaves. On February
10th green leaves picked up from the ground were examined and
no living mites were found. On the same day 17 living mites
and three eggs were found on 10 leaves from a tree in a protected
location. On 24 green leaves from the trees, 4 living mites were
found and from 17 green leaves picked from the ground, 1 living
mite was present. No mites were ever found on dry leaves.
There is no doubt that the rust mites present on the trees and
fruit now are the progeny of those that survived on the leaves
uninjured by the frost.
In the counties of group one the mites were nearly exterminat-
ed. Those that were not actually frozen perished with the drying
of the leaves. In examining six groves, May 3 to 6, in two days
only two mites were observed. In a normal infestation there
would have been literally billions present. In Marion County, on
May 24th, they were also extremely scarce.
In the counties of group two they received a severe setback. A
conservative estimate of the mortality would be more than 99%.
In fact, on June 1, or more than four months after the frost,
they have only become as abundant as they were before the cold
wave. Since the freeze the weather has been extremely favorable
for the reproduction of the mites, and this pest is so abundant
(Continued on page 38)
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
- Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROF Jack. WATSON... eit Editor
WORE. Wa GERGER. onan cl ee Associate Editor
eee RAGDON 4.2) bee oes Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Florida Entomological Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members of the So-
ciety—60c per year in advance; 15c per copy.
It is the earnest desire of the editors that our members, and
especially those outside of Gainesville, should send in brief para-
graphs for the Buggist. Nearly every member must run across
things that would be of general interest. We desire also any
personal items concerning our members or other entomologists
who may be in Florida. These notes should reach us by the
tenth of the month of publication, March tenth for the next issue.
Please note the 25% increase in size of the Buggist this instar.
With the new volume we expect to molt and come out with en-
tirely new headgear.
Aphids, especially Myzus persicae, the Garden Aphid, seem to
be more numerous than usual at this time of the year. This is
probably due to the unusual amount of damp cold weather dur-
ing the past month which has checked their parasites and pre-
dators.
The colony of Delphastes catalinae, the whitefly-eating lady-
beetle introduced from California into a grove near Bradentown
by the Station Entomologist, is reported to be spreading at a
highly satisfactory and encouraging rate.
A BRANCH OF THE SOCIETY IN FT. MYERS
Altho less than two years old our society is about to have a
branch and it is larger than was the parent society at the time of
birth. Twelve men in Ft. Myers have formed “The Lee
County Entomological Society” and have applied for member-
ship as a branch society. The members are 8S. B. Walker, Pres. ;
Fritz Fuchs, Vice-Pres.; Roy Thompson, Secretary and Treasur-
er; C. A. Bass, R. G. Bateman, W. L. Benedict, F. S. Ballentine,
R. G. Oliphant, P. F. Robertson, J. L. Sheldon, A. S. White, all of
36)
WINTER NUMBER ot
Ft. Myers, and A. H. Andrews of Estero. Five of the men have
been members of our society for some time and the president is
a charter member. Most of the men are connected with the State
Plant Board.
The society meets once each week and in addition to other work
they are studying Sanderson and Jackson’s text book on ento-
mology.
It was the Editor’s good fortune to meet with them the last
week in October. A more wide-awake and earnest group of men
would be hard to find. Men who will spend the whole of a sum-
mer day in Florida in a grove looking for citrus canker and then
spend the evening studying entomology will be heard from.
May the branch grow as has the parent. °
AS OTHERS SEE US
Under the heading “The Florida Entomological Society and
Its New Organ,” the Entomological News of Philadelphia in its
November issue gives a brief notice of our society and The Bug-
gist, concluding with, ‘No richer field for the cultivation of en-
tomology than the Southeastern States exist, and such a society
as that of Florida ought to flourish as the whitefly, the sweet po-
tato root weevil and the Anopheles mosquito which their mem-
bers discuss in their new journal. May they succeed in eradi-
cating these insect pests and their society and Buggist widen
our knowledge for many years to come.”
PERSONALS
Our first Secretary-Treasurer, R. N. Wilson, now Agricultural
Demonstration Agent for Palm Beach County, who met with a
serious automobile accident, is now out again.
Prof. W. S. Blatchley, former State Geologist of Indiana and
author of several papers on Florida insects, who addressed us
last winter, passed thru Gainesville on November 30 bound for
his winter home in Dunedin.
Mr. C. H. Popenoe of the U. S. Bur. Ent., Washington, is now
in Florida in connection with extension work on the sweet-
potato root weevil in cooperation with the Experiment Station
and the State Plant Board.
Dr. E. A. Back, also of the Bureau, was in Gainesville the first
of the month making arrangements for an extension entomolo-
gist to take up storage insects and especially the corn weevil in
cooperation with the University.
38 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Mr. W. W. Yothers of the Orlando Laboratory, U.S. Bur. Ent.,
was married on December 6 to Miss Ada Bumby of Orlando.
Prof. J. R. Watson while passing through the fair city of Ar-
cadia a few weeks ago had to wait on the E. & W. C. train; not
being acquainted in the city, and in order to while away the time,
he secured his insect net and decided to collect a few membracids
and other insects around town.
Some of the older settlers not being familiar with the work of
an entomologist at once reported his actions to the mayor. Mayor
Royal while on his way to the scene of action met Sheriff Dishong,
and the two officials after viewing the strange actions of the
“German Looking Fellow” from a distance decided that some-
thing was radically wrong, so he was at once taken into custody.
Upon searching his baggage a number of bulletins were found
and his identity established. Professor was very angry, but his
pardon was begged and he went on his way to Bradentown.—
Correspondent.
Note :—Lucky for the Professor that he did not have a stray
copy of The Jeffersonian in his baggage, or that the zealous but
uninformed officers did not find his insect-poison bottle.
THE EFFECTS OF THE FREEZE OF FEBRUARY 2-4, 1917
ON
THE INSECT PESTS AND MITES ON CITRUS.
(Continued from page 35)
now in nearly every part of this group of counties that spraying
should be done if bright fruit is to be obtained. The only result
in the reduction of the mites by the freeze has been the post-
ponement of the time of maximum infestation in these counties
about a month or six weeks.
In the localities of group three they were also greatly reduced
in number but not sufficiently to be of any great economic im-
portance. Spraying had to be resorted to at about the same time
as in an ordinary season.
By late July and early August the rust mite had become very
abundant. In fact, it is generally believed now, that there were
more present than ever before in the history of the citrus indus-
try. On October 3rd, however, the species is very scarce. Sev-
eral groves were examined the first of October and only a few
hundred were found. The almost complete extermination of this
species by the freeze and its reproduction to billions in six months
is a most remarkable biological fact. According to computation,
WINTER NUMBER 39
one mite would have a progeny of about 12 million in about 514
months, and I believe this is just about what actually took place.
We saw many grapefruit with an estimated number of half a
million, and this condition was the same over the entire state.
The “sands of the sea” or “the stars of heaven” are the only ex-
pressions that will enable one to understand how abundant this
species actually was the last of July and early August.
RED SPIDERS (Tetranychus sexmaculatus MCGR.)
No opportunity has been offered to determine the effects of the
freeze on this pest. Few were present at the time and few have
appeared this season. In fact, they have not been so abundant this
season as normal.
THE PURPLE MITE (Tetranychus citri MCGR.)
So far as could be ascertained, the adults did not appear to
have been hurt. The eggs, however, had a very soft and un-
natural appearance. Since the freeze this pest has not been very
abundant and this is, no doubt, due to the eggs being injured by
the cold.
ORANGE APHIDS
The aphids infesting an orange tree before the freeze were
dead on February 7th. No eggs were present in the colony. This
was the same condition as was observed by Hubbard in 1895.*
Since the freeze, however, there have been more aphids on the
young sprouts than during any other spring in my recollection.
These were soon killed by parasites and predaceous enemies and
were of little economic importance.
EFFECT OF THE FREEZE ON THE PESTS OF OTHER
PLANTS THAN CITRUS.
Tenuipalpus bioculatus MCGR.
This species on privet was slightly, if any, damaged by the cold.
Living specimens were found February 17th. These, however,
may have been hatched since the cold.
Tetranychus yothersit MCGR.
This species on camphor seems to have been very seriously
hurt. On February 7th the adults were nearly all dead. Only a
few showed any signs of life, such as moving their legs, and only
one on the entire lot of leaves was active. The eggs also did not
appear to be normal, being soft and easily broken. On February
17th put some camphor leaves, having an abundance of eggs, into
*Hubbard in “Insect Life,’ Vol. VII, pp. 281, 282.
40 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
atumbler. On March 7th there was only one living mite and the
eggs were still red in color, but they were not normal nor had
they hatched. They were soft, and when broken contained a
liquid instead of a young spider. Another collection of leaves
made just after the freeze and examined on February 15th, gave
the same results; the eggs did not hatch. On another tree there
were many unhatched eggs. On February 17th these appeared
to be very soft. On these same leaves there were 13 young mites
that had evidently hatched since the freeze. No doubt the
adults, young mites and eggs were largely killed when in exposed
places.
In fairly well protected spots the adults and young were not
killed. On February 29th there were 23 adult females, 8 males
and 10 young mites living on a few camphor leaves. The eggs,
however, did not appear to be normal. They had that same dull
look as the others that never hatched.
The observations on this mite show that all.stages are easily
affected by the cold, and especially are the eggs damaged, which is
contrary to expectations. The adults survive only in protected
places. On June 1 there were practically none of this species pres-
ent, while there are specimens of Tetranychus sexmaculatus and
Tetranychus citri.
NOTES ON SOME INSECTS OF SOUTH FLORIDA IN 1917
By R. N. WILSON
(Paper given before the Florida Entomological Society.)
The above title is somewhat too inclusive, as the observations
were made almost entirely in Palm Beach County, tho some were
made in other counties.
Dictyophorus reticulatus—The Lubber Grasshopper. These
large grasshoppers were very numerous on some of the drained
saw-grass lands along the Palm Beach Canal in the Everglades,
but because this land has not yet come under cultivation little
damage resulted. Along the shores of Lake Okeechobee where
severe injury has resulted from their attack during certain years,
these grasshoppers were present in small numbers, but were not
troublesome. The writer’s previous experience with this species
at Fellsmere and other points had proved that it could be controll-
ed with the so-called “Kansas Mixture” (bran, paris green, syrup
and citrus fruit) even when there was a large influx from sur-
rounding lands. None of the melanic forms were found, as would
be expected from the known distribution of the various forms.
WINTER NUMBER 41
Empoasci mali—The “Green Fly.” This little jassid or leaf
hopper, which is commonly called the ‘Green Fly,” made its ap-
pearance very late in the spring, and caused injury only in small
areas during the entire summer. This is quite an unusual oc-
currence since snap beans maturing in March are often severely
attacked, and cowpeas may be entirely destroyed during the
average summer. The reasons for the scarcity of this jassid dur-
ing the year are not known, tho many farmers attribute it to the
cold in early February. No satisfactory control measures, are
known, even on truck crops. The promising contraption for
catching the leaf hoppers invented by Mr. Oller of Delray is not
now in use, because, altho thousands of the insects were caught
the numbers remaining in the fields were not perceptibly reduced.
On account of its wide range of food plants swarms of this jassid
may come in from adjoining lands.
Laphygma frugiperda—The Fall Army Worm. The habits of
this insect seem to be slightly different in South Florida than in
other parts of the United States, in that altho they are extremely
numerous during spring, summer and fall, particularly in corn
fields, they rarely assume the “army” habit. There are few of
our insects that do more damage than the Fall Army Worm, and
the limited acreage of corn on the lower East Coast is not in-
creased because this insect is present. Corn planted in February
or early March can mature and escape with only slight injury,
but later plantings of corn, other than the Nassau corn and its
close relatives which have some immunity, are usually riddled
and sometimes even its ensilage value destroyed. Altho some
farmers have tried to control the pest with arsenate of lead, few
of them have been persistent, and little good has resulted. This
species is more often found in the ears and damages them more
in South Florida than the common corn ear worm, Heliothis ob-
soleta.
Diabrotica vittata—The Cucumber Beetle. Just how long this
species has been in South Florida is uncertain, estimates varying
from two to five years, but certainly in that time it has come to
be one of our most important insects. These beetles were in the
fields in considerable numbers during the freeze in early Febru-
ary, which apparently did not injure them. Altho their prin-
cipal injury is to cucurbits, sunflowers and other plants are
sometimes injured, and during the spring the writer saw them
attack the tender foliage of citrus trees in a few localities. They
occur on the cucurbits in such swarms that the usual poisons
42 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
and repellants do not seem effective, but excellent results were ob-
tained this year by frequently covering the plants with corn-
meal or flour, and sometimes arsenate of lead was mixed with
these. The beetles apparently prefer to eat the meal or flour to
eating the plants, and with careful and frequent dusting the
plants can be saved.
Chalcodermus aeneus—The Cowpea Pod-Weevil, or Cowpea
Curculio. It was with considerable surprise that the writer
found heavy infestations of this beetle on the east shore of Lake
Okeechobee, because this section has had almost no previous cul-
tivation, and has been absolutely isolated from cultivated areas.
This observation probably points to a native food plant on which
the beetle has been thriving in that locality. No control measures
were attempted in the Lake region and the peas in several fields
were a total loss. Along the coast in Palm Beach County little
damage by this species was seen or reported.
Phytoptus calacladophora—White Mold. Many farmers be-
lieve the moldy appearance caused by the infestation of this mite
to be a disease, which is not surprising when we consider that the
mite is usually difficult to see with the naked eye. During the
year this species became very abundant on tomatoes, and the
most interesting point observed was that on muck lands the farm-
ers had little trouble bringing it under control with the sulphur
sprays, while on the sandy lands it seemingly could not be stopped
by almost continual spraying and caused very severe injury.
Farmers report that this is the case to a certain extent every
year.
Millipedes. On the shore of Lake Okeechobee where eggplants
and peppers were set in the muck lands following the clearing of
heavy weeds and brush in August and September they were at-
tacked by millipedes and some injury done. The millipedes did
most of their work at night, tho some few could be found on the
plants in day time. Upon digging around the plants three to six
millipedes could be found in many instances. The damage was
most pronounced near the edge of the fields, and investigation
showed that there were thousands of the millipedes under the
piles of brush. Arsenate of lead was recommended as a contro!
measure, and probably the ‘‘Kansas Mixture” broadcasted would
be effective.
Negro Bugs. During August and September there was con-
siderable complaint of injury in the Lake Okeechobee region
from these small black bugs, which the farmers called beetles. It
WINTER NUMBER 43
is certain that large numbers of the bugs were present in the
seed beds and in some fields, but the writer is inclined to doubt
that they did much damage. Prof. Watson recommended crude
carbolic acid used at the rate of a tablespoonful to two gallons of
water or a dust made by adding a half pint of the acid to a bushel
of lime or plaster, but I do not know what results were obtained.
Tabanids. Among our very worst pests of livestock are the
large Tabanids which appear in great numbers for from four to
eight weeks in the spring. I have seen even mules covered with
bloody splotches caused by the bites of these insects in one day.
Work animals are usually protected by repellant mixtures, me-
chanical means or by screening their quarters, but the unfortun-
ate range animals suffer severely and lose weight considerably
during this period. This is a problem to which little attention
has been given, and which, in justice to our growing livestock in-
dustry, deserves to be attacked with vigor.
BOOK AND BULLETIN NOTICES
The October number of the Quarterly Bulletin of the State
Plant Board contains two valuable articles on scale insects. The
first on ‘Some Florida Scale Insects,” by C. E. Wilson, lists 83
species, most of which are illustrated by original photographs.
This is a very credible list and should be a great help to those
working with these insects.
We note under Cottony Cushion Scale, p. 18, many plants list-
ed as not having been found infested in Florida that should have
been recorded among the Florida hosts, as they were found in-
fested at Key West (See An. Rep. Fla. Ag. Exp. Sta. 1915 p.
exabye) <
The second article by Dr. E. W. Berger on the control of scale
insects is the latest word on the subject.
Press Bul. 285, Fla. Ag. Exp. Sta., is on the San Jose Scale and
No. 286 treats of the Boll Weevil in Sea Island cotton.
Farmers’ Bul. 875, U. S. D. A., treats of (Ligyrus) Huetheola
rugiceps which the authors, Philip and Fox, call the rough-head-
ed corn stalk-beetle. This beetle is common in Florida but no
serious injury to corn seems to have been noted.
Farmers’ Bul. 843 on pecan insects is of peculiar interest to
us, as it is the result of work done mostly in Florida by J. B.
Gill, who is stationed at Monticello.
Bul. 609, U. S. D. A. (Professional Paper), is on Pilocrocis
44 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
tripunctata, which the author (T. H. Jones) calls the sweet-po-
tato leaf-folder. This pyralid moth was in October bred out from
sweet-potatoes on the Station grounds, where it was working
with Prodenia. The point that attracted our attention was that
it was not controlled by the Kansas bait as was Prodenia, doubt-
less because it feeds largely in the rolled up leaves. The damage
it did was inconsequential.
“Fleas and Their Control,” is the subject of Farmers’ Bul. 897,
by F. C. Bishopp.
“The Life of the Caterpillar’’ (Dodd Meade and Co.) has been
translated from the works of ‘that delightful French author
Fabre, ‘The Insects’ Homer.”
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
(K. E. BRAGDON, Secretary)
Science Hall, Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 10, 1917
The meeting was called to order by the President with about
seventy members and visitors present.
The report of the Secretary was read and approved.
The executive committee reported on the following names and
they were elected as members in the Society:
W. N. Hull, Dept. Port & Ry. Insp., State Plant Board,............ Miami, Fla.
James Kerr, Inspector, State Plant Board............................ Santa Rosa, Fla.
Dr. Hiram Byrd, Scient. Sec’y State Board of Health........ Jacksonville, Fla.
Harold Mowry, Inspector, State Plant Board........................ Santa Rosa, Fla.
Clarence A. Bass, Inspector, State Plant Board.......................- Ft. Myers, Fla.
R. G. Bateman, Inspector, State Plant Board.....................2...-.. Groveland, Fla.
©. .D. Kime; Co: Dem: Act. Brevard: Cox... 2s Titusville, Fla.
Wm. Gomme, Co. Dem. Agt., Lake Co...-.2.......221..cececeeeeeeeeeee ee Tavares, Fla.
O. W. Caswell, Co. Dem. Agt., Manatee Co.............20-......-.- Bradentown, Fla.
TB Pe WW OY cco sce ccet So acca et eee een cee ote ve rea Re Haines City, Fla.
ACM Klemm; Nursenyman. ee Winter Haven, Fla.
Max Fi Viertel. Citrus crower 2.2 eee Winter Haven, Fla.
John, Adams Comstock 4...) 321 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, Cal.
AN Wiostreet, (Citmus Orower = 2) sese 22 eee Ormond Beach, Fla.
We Ni Crooks; Citrusverower.@ 2 Oe ee eee Viking, Fla.
Jee WwW: Carson, Citrus verower =. ae ee Frostproof, Fla.
Me4B Allen, AllencroftuNurseries... 93. es ee ee Mt. Dora, Fla.
Thomas J. Baker, Asst. Nurs. Insp., St. Plant Board................ Gainesville, Fla.
James F. Marsh, Inspector, State Plant Board ...................2.... Groveland, Fla.
See Pools Citrus OVOWer ee ee eee Winter Haven, Fla.
M. Marcellus Javens, Citrus grower ...................-....... ae eee Mt. Dora, Fla.
F. F. Bibby, Assistant Entomologist, St. Pl. Bd. ......... -_.....Gainesville, Fla.
Hee Mekiniey, \Go...Dem: Actin 3. ee pat eels aes Geto S, Miami, Fla.
Alfredi Warren. Go. Dems Wothic 22.20 Model ee ee Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Mrs=Marie:Conway Ocemler® 22) oe ee ea ee ee Savannah, Ga.
L. R. Warner, Asst. Nurs. Insp., State Plant Bd. .................... Gainesville, Fla.
Cao chompson, Citrusterower 2) se ee ee. See Winter Haven, Fla.
J. bw Donnelly.: Citpusserower:.-..22. 2 2 eee Ae oe Mt. Dora, Fla.
AS As hewis; County Dem: Agent, (22s 2 eee Kathleen, Fla.
Be Ey Drskett; Citrus: crower si.) 27. =. ee eee ee Mont Verde, Fla.
‘AlextBiniay sCitrassevower «1-03 200s ta)? ee eee Orange Center, Fla.
WINTER NUMBER A5
Ee OVOse NTT EER DL. (tas 2... 1k oes eet eee eee ee eee. Gainesville, Fla.
Cm Gunn. County Dem. Agent) ).22.2. 25 eae. cee Starke, Fla.
Ha G aGustarsonwy C1tbrus, STOWOK 2.21122 eee ee ee Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Siesta © iS ONO WCT, 252-22... s2052.- ef ee- te eee ee Crescent City, Fla.
ee putea O©UGEUS (SOW CT) soccer een es Lakeland, Fla.
Thomas R. Robinson, Inspector, State Plant Board _.......... Bradentown, Fla.
RObentelvans OMe @1GRU Sv OVO WET se creer eco eens St. Augustine, Fla.
A. S. Hooker; Inspector; State Plant Board -.............._ =... Groveland, Fla.
Mr. W. W. Yothers read a paper on “Effects of the Freeze on
Citrus Insects.”
Mr. R. N. Wilson gave a talk on “Some Insects of South Flori-
da.” General discussion of the points brought out by these two
gentlemen followed.
Under “Brief and Timely Notes” Dr. W. A. Wyman mentioned
the double strength bordeaux mixture and made a plea that fur-
ther experiments with this solution be carried out. Dr. E. W.
Berger exhibited a specimen of an insect of the genus Gymnas-
pis on Bilbergia.
Prof. Watson spoke of the successful use of the ‘““Kansas Mix-
ture” in controlling the Sweet-potato Caterpillar. Mr. J. A.
Miller spoke of the milliped attacking the Irish potato. Mr. O.
D. Link spoke of a worm affecting the navel orange in Louisiana
and of brown beetles boring into oranges where leaves came into
contact with them.
Science Hall, Nov. 19, 1917.
The regular monthly meeting of the Florida Entomological
Society was called to order at 4:30 p. m. by the President, with
the following members present: Wilmon Newell, E. W. Berger,
F. M. O’Byrne, J. R. Watson, S. P. Harn, O. T. Stone, F. F. Bibby,
J. H. Montgomery, Frank Stirling, L. Russell Warner, H. S.
Davis, T. Van Hyning and K. E. Bragdon.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. It
was suggested that the students of the University of Florida be
invited to attend our meetings and that notice of each monthly
meeting and the program be published in the Gainesville Sun.
The matter of a suitable heading for the “Florida Buggist”
was discussed and it was voted that this be left to the discretion
of the editors.
After a discussion of the matter of our affiliation with the
Florida Academy of Sciences, it was voted that the Secretary
write to all non-resident active members of the Society and as-
certain their views, in order that a vote may be taken at the next
meeting to decide whether our society should withdraw as a
section of the Florida State Academy of Sciences.
46 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
The following new members were elected by acclamation as
associate members:
K.'S. Lamb; Inspector; State Plant Board:.-2 822 24.72 ! Gainesville, Fla.
© Jake! Bommel yh 0 che pcre Wee raedrets uae Uae ete wae ee aa 2. Ane Le ee oe Buras, La.
Wintel Drews Cibcus : Or O Wein ee eteere ees ee oe ee emer ee tees Eagle Lake, Fla.
MG ASC ONL OTIOG actceln. ee occa =n tak were rete ese ne me eee s eee oe Lakeland, Fla.
Dr: W:.. £: Ay Wyman, Citrus grower: ia) S22 St. Petersburg, Fla.
Vietelis BrOwNseNUUns Cryin Vis cc eee see eee eee eens Winter Haven, Fla.
We Bartlett./ Nurseryiman32..222 220 ee See ieee eee ee Ft. Ogden, Fla.
H. H. Hume, Nurseryman & Pres. Fla. Hort. Soe. ........ Glen St. Mary, Fla.
H. A. Wartmann, Inspector, State Plant Board ...........................---- Citra, Fla.
B. EF. Flowers, Inspector, State Plant Board. ...2.. 42 2--)-.2_!- Sebring, Fla.
John Schlobig, Inspector, State Plant Board ............................--.- Sebring, Fla.
M..M. Bass; Inspector, State-Plant Board:..2 22 222 Groveland, Fla.
W. O. Lahrman, Inspector State Plant Board 22.01.0220... 22. DeLand, Fla.
©: 'T. Stone;, Clerk: State Plant; Board ..:.2\. =e Gainesville, Fla.
AN, Tas, White, Citrus crower 202 2s a. ee ee ee rece Ft. Myers, Fla.
CO. G: Bishop? Citruste rowers.) 520. ees Monticello, Fla.
J. M: Mears, Inspector; State: Plant Board! 222 = 208 2 Manatee, Fla.
Tn (O. Smith; Inspector; State Plant Board). 20.. Wauchula, Fla.
H.C. Artis, Inspector; State Plant Boardy{ == Wauchula, Fla.
S,. fH. (Cassino; spublisher [2805.08 ee eee eee eee Salem, Mass.
C. E. Whittington, Asst. Nurs. Inspector, State Plant Board.
The Business Manager of “The Florida Buggist”’ reported that
the total receipts for subscriptions, advertisements, etc., to date,
amounted to $74.45; that the total expenditure in publishing
numbers 1 and 2 and mailing same to members and others
amounted to $73.86, leaving a balance of $0.59.
The paper of the evening, entitled “The Spiny Citrus Whitefly
in Cuba,” was given by Mr. Newell, and was followed by an ex-
tended discussion. This paper will be printed elsewhere.
Mr. F. F. Bibby gave a short talk on the distribution of the
boll weevil in Florida.
Dr. Berger’s article, “Entomology as a Pure Science,” was post-
poned for the next meeting on account of the lateness of the hour.
Under “Brief Timely Notes,’ Professor Watson reported the
following insects:
“Negro Bug,” as infesting chufas in various parts of the state.
Epicaerus formidolosus, as infesting beans and being found on
cotton and cowpeas, being apparently more abundant this year
than usual.
Vaginulus floridanus, a slug on tomatoes, found at Dania, Fla.
The Woolly Whitefly, in St. Lucie County.
K. E. Bragdon reported that the seaside morning-glory was
apparently a preferred host plant of the Sweet-potato Root-wee-
vil, since it could be found in this vine when it could not be found
in adjacent sweet potato plants.
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POCKET MAGNIFIERS
The following pocket magnifiers are recommended by the Experiment Station at Gainesville and
the U.S. Bureau of Entomology: 39980. Magnifiers, Coddington, giving a good definition
and wide field:
ComDINGTON Diameter,in mm_. __... ... 12 15 20
ete = Magnification ....._...-....... .. 20X 15X 10X
Each __.... eee SOO $1.50 $1.50
30984. Magnifiers, Triple Aplanats. The field is large
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Diameter in mm ____........... 10 12 15
Magnification ._.. .. ...........- 20X 15X 10X
Bach oer. -3e: _... . $3.50 $3.50 $3.50
Any of the above magnifiers will be sent by parcel post upon receipt of price
ARTHUR H. THOMAS CO.
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Wrest Washington Square Philadelphia, U.S.A.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
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When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
Ohe |
Florida Bugsgist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VOL. I SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS VOL. II
No. 4 MARCH 21 AND JUNE 22, 1918 INjo;
Printed July, 1918.
BEE KEEPING IN FLORIDA.*
By FRANK STIRLING
The keepers of bees in Florida find many reasons for engag-
ing in this industry. Some engage in it solely for the honey pro-
duced and the financial gains resulting therefrom, while others,
in fact a large majority, are in the business for the love of it.
For some it is a recreation, and there is none better, as it gives
delightful and absorbing occupation in the open air, and those
who love natural science find no more fascinating problems than
the ones still unsolved in the hive.
As a vocation it requires one’s whole time and energy in order
to insure success. Florida already has a large number of per-
sons engaged in the bee industry whose yearly incomes vary
from $500 to $5000. You will find bee keepers located in most
all sections of the State, but most of them are at points where
_the pasturage for the bees is of the best; that is, where the
plants grow which produce the most and best honey, such as
the citrus grove sections on the east and west coasts, the swamps
where great quantities of cabbage palmetto grow, and the north-
western portions of the State where the tupelo and titi abound.
Some bee keepers in Florida have several hundred colonies, but
most of them keep only a few as a “side issue’. Fifteen or
twenty colonies may be managed with comparatively little time
and attention, and if proper care be given to such an apiary it
will prove profitable. If the season is favorable the product of
one colony should net the owner from $4.00 to $10.00. For
example, three years ago, from a small apiary of thirty-two col-
onies, the writer produced one ton of honey which sold at from
ten to twenty-five cents per pound. It is not considered an
exception for some colonies to produce as much as one hundred
pounds of surplus honey during one year.
*Paper read before the Florida Entomological Society.
50 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Of all the lower animals, bees are the most highly developed
in certain ways, especially with regard to the spirit of com-
munism, which is wonderful. One of the most remarkable
peculiarities of bees, which is also shared by social insects such
as ants, wasps and termites, is that there are three distinct kinds
of individuals in the community, for in addition to the males
and females which are the reproducing members of the colony,
there is a third class which performs the labors of the com-
munity. These, commonly known as workers, are really unde-
veloped queens or unsexed females. In the termites the work-
ers are both females and males.
The queen bee is the acme of a long period of development.
She may actually be the mother of all her subjects. Too much
care cannot be given to the selection of the queen, or mother bee,
of the colony, for her blood is in their blood, her faults their
faults, and her weaknesses their weaknesses. The mature or
laying queen is a very graceful insect, her body is long and
pointed and extends far beyond the tips of her closed wings.
It requires about fifteen days for her to emerge from her cell
after the egg has been laid. After several days she mates with
a drone outside of the hive high up in the air on what is known
as the “flight”. During her life, which is sometimes less than
a month, but generally two or three years, and occasionally more
than five years, she mates with a drone only once.
Of all the inmates of the hive, the lot of the drones is the
least enviable, for the reason that one only will fulfill the destiny
as father of the hive; many are born only to be slain when the
honey harvest is low. In appearance, the drone differs much
from the queen and the workers. He is broad and the rear end
of his body blunt. He is made for a life of idleness, his hind
legs bear no pollen baskets, his tongue is so short that he could
not reach the nectar inside the blossoms even if he wanted to
do so, and he has no wax glands such as the worker has for
secreting wax, and he cannot fight his enemies because he has
no sting. His only accomplishment is his buzz. He generally
lives until the workers decide they cannot afford to keep him
any longer. In a queenless colony he may live six months.
In the bee community all the work is carried on by neuters, or
unsexed females. The life history of the worker is usually as
follows: The cell in which she is developed is the smallest of
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 51
those composing the honeycomb. In twenty-one days from the
time the egg is deposited the worker emerges a fully developed
bee ready to do the work of tending the larvae, gathering pollen
and nectar from the field, and also acting in the capacity of
guardian to the hive. The life of the worker during the busy
season is usually about six weeks. However, those born in the
late fall live through until the following spring. Very few die
in the hive, especially during the busy season, as their wings
wear out while flying to and fro and they drop to the ground.
They apparently never rest when there is a good flow of nectar
from the flowers, for during the day they are engaged in gather-
ing the harvest, and all night long they work in the hive se-
creting wax, which is necessary to build the honeycomb; and by
keeping a constant circulation of air thruout the hive by means
of their wings, they evaporate the moisture from the sweetened
water, which is known as nectar, until nothing is left but the
honey. In other words, while the bees gather nectar, they make
the honey.
In these troubled times, when we are all urged to do our ‘“‘bit’’
(“best”) in the great struggle for universal peace, when the
farmer especially is asked to make his acres produce their
maximum, there is nothing that can add to the general supply
more than almost any kind of sweetening.
- The production of honey, bee keeping, has always been quite
an industry. Long before the dawn of history honey was used
and prized highly as food. This valuable sweet, to the ancients
of our race, was a perfectly concentrated sweetening ready for
immediate use without any preparation. The first mention of
this ready-made sweet in history is in Genesis, fourteen, eleven.
“Take of the best fruits in the lands in your vessels, and carry
down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey.”
One who is well versed in the science of bee keeping, while
traveling through the State of Florida, may see the enormous
waste of the thousands of acres of flowers of numerous kinds.
What I mean is that just about one per cent of the nectar
produced by these flowers is being harvested by the honey bees.
The census reports but $100,000.00 worth of honey produced
annually in Florida, and there could easily be $1,000,000.00
worth produced if enough bees were on the job and handled
properly by competent bee keepers.
Wild bees are common and the cutting down of bee trees with
52 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
their stores of honey is not infrequent. Several years ago I cut
down four bee trees during one morning, securing therefrom
about one hundred pounds of honey. If bees do so well wild,
it is certain that by intelligent effort the honey production here
in Florida could be made profitable. In California, where con-
ditions for honey making are no better than here in Florida, in
my opinion not nearly so good, there were produced in 1915,
600 car loads, or 15,000,000 pounds.
Most people have the idea that honey can be used only as
syrup or in the comb to be eaten raw. Experts in nutrition
in the United States Department of Agriculture have gone
fully into the subject, and declare that with butter at forty
cents a pound, a pound of honey at seventeen cents will be
found equally economical as a source of energy. You can get the
Department’s Bulletin No. 653 entitled ‘“Honey and Its Use in
the Home’”’, which is-free, by writing to the U. S. Department of
Agriculture at Washington. Information can also be secured
from Wilmon Newell, Plant Commissioner, Gainesville, Florida,
who has had a wide experience in bee culture.
Bees serve a good purpose besides the production of useful
food. They are essential to the proper pollination of fruit
trees. It is a well known and long established truth that the
nectar, odor and bright color of the flowers are simply means of
attracting insects in order that the fertilizing pollen may be
carried from flower to flower. The honey bee is chief among
insects for this purpose. It is the most easily controlled of all
insects to do this necessary work.
It is of interest to know that Florida holds the world’s honey
producing record. In support of this claim I will quote from
a report by P. J. Wester, formerly horticulturist of the U.S. D.
A. Plant Introduction Station at Miami but now horticulturist
of the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture, as follows: “It is
worthy of note that the world’s record for honey production
is held by the sub-tropical state of Florida. The 103 colonies of
an apiarist there, known to the writer, averaged about 298
pounds of honey per colony one year, and one produced the
astonishing amount of 496 pounds.”
The average yield per colony for Florida for 1917 was 86
pounds, which was almost twice the amount per colony produced
in most of the other states during the same year. So the man
in Florida who has a hive of bees, especially at the present time,
is not likely to get “stung’’.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 53
THYSANOPTERA OF FLORIDA
J. R. WATSON
Agricultural Experiment Station
These insects are usually called thrips. They are all small,
the largest measuring about eight millimeters (1/3 in.) in
length while the smallest is scarcely half a millimeter. The vast
majority are from one to two millimeters long. This is not as
great a range in size as is common in other orders of insects.
They are slender insects and their bodies are composed of four
movable parts—the head, prothoraz, pterothorax (fused meso-
and meta-thorax), and abdomen. This mobile structure enables
them readily to squeeze into cracks in the bark of trees and into
the parts of flowers where most of them live. Moreover the ten
joints of the abdomen are loosely articulated so that the abdo-
men, like that of rove beetles, can be bent up over the back in a
threatening manner as if the insect would sting. The real ob-
ject of the motion is, in most cases, to straighten out the hairs:
of the wings preparatory to flight.
Each of the four parts of the body bears appendages. On
the head are the antennae, always long and slender and com-
posed of from seven to nine segments and capable also of a
large range of motion. The comparative lengths of these anten-
nal segments are much used in classifying thrips. On the an-
tennae are hairs and spine-like organs. Some of these are
“sense cones’, probably organs of smell and perhaps of hearing.
Large compound eyes are present and near them usually
three small simple eyes, ocelli. The anterior one of these fre-
quently is directed forward and the others upward.
The mouth parts are of the sucking type and not rasping as
is sometimes stated. However, the punctures they make in the
tissues attacked are usually numerous and close together, giving
to the injured tissues somewhat the appearance of having been
rasped away. A peculiar characteristic of the mouth parts is
the lack of symmetry between the two sides. The right mandi-
ble is entirely missing.
Although some species are wingless, there are usually two
pairs of similar wings. Each consists of a long and rather nar-
row membrane fringed with very long hairs. These hairs are
responsible for the name Thysanoptera, “fringe wings’. In
54 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
many species there are from three to twenty or more hairs of a
second row present near the end of the front wings. |
The body is usually provided with a few stout hairs or spines.
These are most numerous towards the end of the abdomen but
many species have prominent ones on the angles of the thorax
and often a long stout one (post-ocular) some distance behind
each eye.
The legs end in peculiar expansile membranes which are re-
sponsible for an older name of the order, Physopoda, or ‘‘blad-
der-feet’”’.
There are two quite different types of ovipositors, a long saw
and a softer membranous tube. Those thrips having the latter
type are placed in the sub-order Tubulifera. Those having the
saw in the sub-order Terebrantia and in the family Aolothripi-
dae or Thripidae, according to whether the ovipositor is turned
up or down.
This order of insects is most closely related to the true bugs,
Hemiptera, and was formerly placed in that order.
HABITS. Most species are plant feeders. They suck the sap
from the more tender parts of the plants. Some are predatory
on other small insects and mites. One of our Florida species—
may his tribe increase—feeds on the eggs and crawlers of white-
fly. All thrips are of potential economic importance.
LIFE History. As a typical life history we may give that of
our most common species, the Florida Flower Thrips. The eggs
are laid in the tissue of tender plants just below the surface in
a shallow slié made by the female. They hatch in about three
(2-4) days. The larvae feed and grow for an average of 15
days (the minimum was ten and the maximum 24 days in sum-
mer), molting three times. The last immature stage is the
pupa. This is peculiar. Like insects with a’ complete meta-
morphosis, thrips do not feed during this time and move about
but little. But like their relatives, the bugs and other insects
with an incomplete metamorphosis, the wing pads are present
during this stage. Their development is thus intermediate be-
tween the two types. A final molt and the adult appears full-
winged and with fully developed reproductive organs. The
females feed for about five days and then begin to lay eggs. The
completed life history therefore covers about 23 days. This
would allow 16 generations per year. But breeding ceases
altogether during the coldest weather of our winter and pro-
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 55
ceeds much more slowly during the entire winter. There is not
a month of the year, however, during which breeding is entirely
suspended. After a warm spell in even January one can find
at least a few young in roses and other favorite flowers. They
do not hibernate, but are equiescent during the coldest weather.
Further north thrips hibernate in either the adult, egg, or larval
stages.
Parthenogenesis is common. Indeed in many species no males
have ever been seen.
ENEMIES. Thrips seem to be exceptionally free of predaceous
enemies. They are apparently too insignificant to figure in the
commissary arrangements of other animals. An internal para-
site has been recorded, a hymenopteron, but it is not common.
A fungus disease or two have been observed, and a small bug
Triphleps insidiosus, feeds on them. But the chief factor in
keeping down their numbers is heavy dashing rain, which beats
them from the plants and pounds them to death on the ground.
This order of insects has been but little studied by resident
entomologists of Florida. Mr. A. C. Morgan of the U. S. Bureau
of Entomology, has done considerable collecting in the State,
aided by Mr. Runner, and has described several species. Mr.
J. D. Hood of the U. S. Biological Survey, has described several
Florida species.
Prof. A. L. Quaintance and the late H. M. Russell, both of the
Bureau of Entomology, have studied some species of economic
importance. The writer has collected in this group only inci-
dentally while working on some species injurious to plants of
economic importance. The present list includes all the species
the writer has collected in the State with the exception of two
or three apparently new species of which he has not as yet
_ been able to collect sufficient material for description. There
has also been included in this list all the species that have been
listed by other collectors as taken in the State. Many of these
specimens the writer has not seen, and he assumes no respon-
sibility for the correctness of their identification. But as they
have all been listed by careful workers, they are doubtless mostly
correctly identified. Those records that have thus been compiled
from the publications of others are indicated in the text with
the name of the collector and a reference to the publication in
which the collections were recorded. When the name of the col-
(Continued on page 65)
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
IPROR Sd... bvcs WEAMLSO Nett oct oe oo en se de ee SI ees Se Editor
JOR Wo SERGE RS sctoc ist ete eeereen | See ee eyes? Associate Editor
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Florida Entomological Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members of the So-
ciety—$1.00 per year in advance; 25c per copy.
EXTERMINATE THE BOLL WEEVIL
A late number of the Quarterly Bulletin of the State Plant
Board bears an editorial of unusual interest to entomologists.
In brief the suggestion is to exterminate the boll weevil from
the United States by enacting a “‘no cotton” year. From the
entomological side the problem is an easy one. The difficulty
is psychological. -To tell a man that he cannot raise cotton
interferes with his ‘‘rights”. But, as the Commissioner pointed
out, by the time the war is over we will have been so thoroly
““Hooverized” and ‘‘McAdooized” that we will not think so much
of our “rights”. The fact that the suggestion comes from the
man who has practically “canned” Citrus Canker (seems as if
it should be spelled Kanker to link it to other undesirables) will
give the suggestion weight. Should a few plants of cotton escape
the inspectors and leave a few colonies of the weevils, their
extermination will be an easy matter as compared with that of
Citrus Canker.
Our members will be glad to read in this issue of the con-
tinued prosperity of the Lee County Branch.
NOTES BY THE SECRETARY TREASURER
The annual dues of the Society were raised to one dollar, be-
ginning with 1918, at the March meeting of the Society. This
increase was made necessary in order to have a reserve fund
available for the publishing of THE BUGGIST, in case other in-
come should at any time prove insufficient. Each issue of THE
(56)
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS ie
BUGGIST costs between twenty-five and thirty-five dollars. It is
planned, on the other hand, to enlarge each issue as funds be-
come available.
It is therefore urged that all members who have not already
done so, be so kind as to send in their dues at once. In order
to save postage and thereby to conserve the funds of the Society
for use in publishing THE BUGGIST, personal notices for the an-
nual dues will not be sent except when necessary. Please do not
make this necessary in your case but send your dollar before
you forget it. Receipts for dues will also generally not be
mailed, but will be acknowledged in the next number of THE
BUGGIST.
New members will also be notified of their election in THE
BuGGIST under Reports of Meetings.
The Secretary-Treasurer also wishes to urge upon all members
to miss no opportunity to obtain new members, and upon all
others who read this notice and are interested in “bugs” to
become members.
The Executive Committee has designated the Curator of the
University Museum as Custodian for publications received in
exchange and otherwise.
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
(All meetings are held in Dr. Davis’ Lecture Room, Science Hall, Univer-
sity of Florida, from 4:30 to 6:00 p. m., unless otherwise stated.)
At the meeting of December 17, 1917, a communication from
Mr. Roy Thompson, Secretary of the Lee County Entomological
Society, was read. In this letter application was made for ac-
cepting this Society as a branch of the Florida Entomological
Society. As the constitution would need amendment to provide
‘ for such affiliations, the Executive Committee was instructed to
draw up the proper amendment.
The following new members were elected: C. E. Whitting-
ton, W. L. Benedict, J. L. Shelton, P. F. Robertson, R. G. Oli-
phant, Roy Thompson, A. H. Andrews and F. 8. Balentine.
The paper of the evening, “Entomology as a Pure Science’,
was read by E. W. Berger. It was the aim of this paper to show
that all modern scientific achievements had their beginnings
in pure science, or the investigation of natural phenomena for
58 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
the sake of learning, understanding them as such regardless
of what the practical bearing might be. This is also true of
entomology, and for that reason the investigation and study
of insects as such, regardless of their injury or usefulness,
should not be lost sight of. It is planned to publish this paper
in a future number of THE BUGGIST.
At the meeting of Jan. 28, 1918, the Executive Committee,
in pursuance of instructions received at the December meeting,
recommended the following amendment to the Constitution of
the Florida Entomological Society. This amendment was
adopted by vote of the Society:
Article 9.—Ten or more members resident in any
locality, or having a common interest in Entomology,
subject to the approval of the Executive Committee,
may form a branch of the Florida Entomological So-
ciety. Branches shall have the power to perfect their
organization, hold meetings, and in general have full
control over their affairs, providing they conform to
the constitution and regulations of the Society. All
members of branches must be included in the mem-
bership of the Society.
It was further voted, upon recommendation by the Executive
Committee, that the Lee County Entomological Society be ac-
cepted as a branch of this Society. A list of the members of
this branch was published in the winter number.
The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:
President, Dr. H. 8S. Davis; Vice-President, F. M. O’Byrne; Sec-
retary-Treasurer, E. W. Berger; member of Executive Som-
mittee, Dr. J. H. Montgomery.
The following were re-elected on the Editorial Staff of THE
BuGGIst: Editor, J. R. Watson; Associate Editor, E. W. Ber-
ger; Business Manager, K. E. Bragdon.
It was voted that, at the end of a year, those not having
paid their dues for the preceding year be notified, and if they
do not pay, be automatically dropt from the membership of
the Society.
It was voted that instead of notifying non-resident members
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 59
of each meeting, the Executive Committee prepare programs
three months in advance and publish them in THE BUGGIST.
Mrs. E. G. Rose of Wauchula, and O. K. Courtenay of Gaines-
ville, were unanimously elected as members of the Society.
Under “Timely Notes’, Professor J. R. Watson showed beetles
of the Family Brenthidae occurring in South Florida. These
are close relatives of Cylas formicarius, the Sweet Potato Root
Weevil.
This being the date for the annual election of officers, the
principal paper of the evening was omitted.
At the meeting of February 26th, Prof. John Schaffner of
O. S. University, Columbus, O., and Mr. Frank Steffen of Em-
poria, Kan., were present as visitors.
It was voted to hereafter hold the regular monthly meetings
of the Society on the fourth Monday of each month instead of
the third, it having become apparent that there would generally
be less routine work at that time to keep resident members from
attending.
The following new members were elected: Geo. G. Ainslee,
Knoxville, Tenn., Entomologist Bureau of Entomology, U. S.
D. A.; R. L. Clute, Extension Entomologist Stored Products,
Insects, Gainesville, Fla.; W. Knaus, Editor and Manager, the
Democrat-Opinion, McPherson, Kansas; M. V. Millington,
Tampa; John A. Clinger, Tampa; and Jesse F. Taylor, Seffner,
Fla. i
Under “Timely Notes’, Mr. K. E. Bragdon showed specimens
and reported on the finding of the Banana Root Weevil (Cos-
mopolites sordidus) at Larkin, Fla. This is the first record of
its occurrence in Florida, and the infestation is believed to have
been eradicated. E. W. Berger briefly reported on the Avocado
Weevil (Heilipus lauri) and showed specimens. Altho this
insect is not known to occur in Florida, the possibility of its
introduction from Mexico and Central America is dreaded and
the Port and Railway Inspectors of the Plant Board are keep-
ing a keen lookout for it. Prof. J. R. Watson reported seeing
two more specimens of the Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Vanessa
antiopa) near Gainesville in February, having previously re-
ported collecting a specimen in January, 1917.
60 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
The paper of the evening, ‘‘Insect Photography,’ was read
by Dr. H. S. Davis and discussed by those present. Dr. Davis
explained the use of colored screens interposed before the object
to be photographed. The purpose of these screens is twofold:
(1) to intensify certain colors and to subdue others, in order to
bring out their relative values as they appear to the eye; (2)
to eliminate certain colors altogether. This is necessary be-
cause photographic plates are not equally sensitive to all col-
ors. A yellowish or light brown color, for instance, will ordi-
narily photograph black, but by interposing a screen of that
color, and giving a longer exposure, its proper value will be
given in the photograph. However, to use screens successfully,
plates sensitive to several colors, or all colors, are necessary,
such as Ortho, Iso, and others. The use of the new Pan-chro-
matic plates, sensitive to all colors, was explained and illustrated
by a diagram of the spectrum. That the slower plates give bet-
ter results for photographing specimens in the laboratory than
the very rapid ones so generally used, was also emphasized.
March 25. It was voted to increase the annual dues of the
Society from 50 cents to $1.00, beginning with 1918. .Of all
members who voted, non-resident as well as resident, only one
non-resident member voted against the increase.
Under “Timely Notes’ Mr. Frank Stirling reported on the
rearing of 20 Tachina Flies from the caterpillar of a tiger
moth collected at Gainesville. He also reported collecting the
grubs and adults of a 11-lined beetle (Leptinotarsa undecim-
lineata) feeding on wild eggplant at Havana, Cuba, in January,
1918. This beetle is a close relative of the Colorado Potato
Beetle (Leptinotarsa decimlineata), so common in the north and
also occurring in the northern tier of counties of Florida.
Messrs. Dozier and Van Hyning reported obtaining some nema-
tode worms from katydids.
The paper of the evening, “Ecology of Hammock Insects,”
was read by Mr. Dozier. The discussion was led by Prof. Wat-
son, followed by others present.
The Society adjourned at 6 p. m.
April 29. Visitors present were Prof. C. L. Willoughby of the
University and Mr. Leland of the University Farm.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 61
It was voted to sever the Society’s connection as a section
of the Florida Academy of Sciences and continue as an inde-
pendent organization.
The principal speaker of the evening being absent, Mr. A. L.
Swanson was requested to give a brief account of the inspection
of the Florida Keys for the Plant Board. Mr. Swanson stated
that he and his crew lived on a house-boat and that the inspec-
tion was made between January 8 and April 19, 1918, extend-
ing from Elliott’s Key, on the north, to Key West. Mr. Swan-
son further stated that the growth on the Keys is mostly hard-
wood, including the Gumbo-Limbo. Most of the land is cut-over
and the largest trees measure 12 to 18 inches in diameter. The
larger insects appeared to be absent, at least at this time. Cab-
bage butterflies and the Orange Dog were seen, the latter in
January at Key West, the insect fauna has many representa-
tives from the West Indies. Many plantings of cotton, etc.,
were seen without a blemish, being absolutely free from insects
and diseases, a condition he had never seen before.
Under “Timely Notes” Mr. O’Byrne reported that birds ap-
peared to get many of the cutworms in his garden; or did
wasps get them? EK. W. Berger reported that the whitefly
was becoming unusually severe in the citrus groves, due to the
fact that the trees had not been defoliated by the last winter’s
freezes.
May 27. At this meeting Prof. W. L. Floyd, of the University,
and Mr. Geo. B. Merrill were present as visitors.
The following new members were unanimously elected: Mr.
B. L. Boyden, Scientific Assistant, Bureau of Entomology, sta-
tioned in Florida on the Sweet Potato Weevil work; Mr. J. E.
Graf, Bureau of Entomology, in charge of Sweet Potato Weevil
work in the Southern States; and Mr. Geo. B. Merrill, Deputy
Port and Railway Inspector for the Plant Board.
Under “Timely Notes” Mr. Stirling described an infestation
of Cottony Cushion Scale, near Sarasota, as the worst he had
ever seen. Groves that were infested last year now had but
‘small amounts of scale, with indications that the Vedalia cleaned
he Ue. Prof. Watson exhibited specimens of the Broad-nosed
Grain Weevil, collected at Plant City by E. A. Back, of the
Bureau of Entomology, in corn. He also referred to the occur-
rence of this same weevil as severely infesting dasheens at
62 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Brooksville, the dasheens having been stored near some corn
severely infested. EK. W. Berger reported an early and un-
precedented demand for the Red Aschersonia, or Red Whitefly
Fungus. Prof. Carl J. Drake briefly discussed a new species
of Lacebug (tingid) and showed specimens. He also. briefly
reported on some of the parasites of the Green Pumpkin Bug.
The principal paper of the evening was by Prof. Carl J. Drake,
of Syracuse University, N. Y., on “Water Hemiptera” (Water
Bugs). Prof. Drake showed a number of live specimens and
gave brief accounts of their habits. He stated that, while these
insects are not generally of economic importance, some feed on
fish and are therefore injurious to the food supply. In species
of Belostoma, the Electric Light Bugs, the male carries the eggs
of the female on his back.
The second paper of the evening was by Mr. K. E. Bragdon
on ‘‘Huscepes porcellus’”’, a snout beetle very similar to Huscepes
batatae, the West Indian Sweet Potato Weevil. In his search
for the latter near Moor Haven, he found the former infesting
the Moon Vine, a morning glory. Porcellus has been reported
as injuring sweet potatoes in Jamaica but not known to do so
in Florida. Batatae is not known to occur in Florida.
NOTES FROM THE LEE COUNTY ENTOMOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
(Branch of the Florida Entomological Society)
During the past quarter the Lee County Entomological Society
has held its regular weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings.
During the early part of the quarter the society had as its guest
Dr. J. H. Montgomery, who gave a very interesting and helpful
talk on the Spiny Citrus Whitefly (Alewrocanthus woglumzi,
Ashby).
On Thursday evening, Jan. 17th, W. L. Benedict treated the
society to a stag dinner at the Hotel Elton. The affair was given
in honor of R. G. Oliphant, who was shortly to leave on an
inspection tour of the Florida Keys conducted by the State
Plant Board.
Stanley Millege has been transferred to Citra, Fla., where he
will continue his work as inspector for the State Plant Board.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 63
At the February 5th meeting the present officers were re-
elected to serve during the coming quarter. The officers are:
Shirley B. Walker, Pres.; Fritz Fuchs, Vice-Pres.; Roy Thomp-
son, Sec-Treas.
The return of Fritz Fuchs to his home at Redland, Fla., is
viewed with deepest regret by all who knew him. Mr. Fuchs
was a hard and enthusiastic worker and his departure is a
distinct loss to the society.
Orange aphids are unusually abundant in the vicinity of Fort
Myers this spring and we may look for some little damage on
their account.
The orange sharpshooter is also causing some damage here.
PERSONALS
Mr. C. E. Wilson, formerly Assistant Entomologist to the
Plant Board, has been appointed Neural Histologist in the Brain
Surgery Department, U. S. A. Medical Corps. He will be en-
gaged in research work in France.
Mr. A. C. Mason, formerly connected with the Station and
Plant Board, is now in the U. S. Army Hospital Service.
Mr. K. E. Bragdon, who has done such valuable work for the
Society as Secretary-Treasurer and for THE BUGGLST as Busi-
ness Manager, has been obliged on account of his official duties
to resign both positions. It is largely this that is responsible for
the delay in publishing THE BUGGIST.
Prof. Carl J. Drake, Associate Professor in Entomology in
the School of Forestry of Syracuse University, has been em-
ployed for the summer to assist in the Entomological Depart-
ment of the Experiment Station. He is working on the life his-
tory of the Southern Green Stink Bug or ‘Pumpkin Bug”
(Nezara viridula).
Among the welcome additions to entomologists of Gaines-
ville is Prof. Fatig, who has come from Dakota to take charge
of the work of the State agricultural schools. He has a large
collection of hymenoptera and diptera.
Luther Brown, agent State Plant Board, enlisted in the U. S.
Navy Hospital Service on March 18.
64 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
A. C. Brown, agent State Plant Board, enlisted in the National
Army on April 4th.
F. F. Bibby, Assistant Entomologist State Plant Board, en-
listed in the U. S. Naval Hospital Service on April 10th.
Wilmon Newell, State Plant Commissioner, Gainesville, Fla.,
is State Leader of the Sweet Potato Root Weevil Control and
Eradication Work.
J. E. Graf, of the Bureau of Entomology, U. S. D. A., is in
charge of the Sweet Potato Root Weevil Work for the South.
O. K. Courtenay, U. S. Bureau of Entomology, is Field Agent
in charge of the Sweet Potato Root Weevil Control and Erad-
ication Work.
k. E. Bragdon, Deputy Port and Railway Inspector, State
Plant Board, is Acting Field Agent in the Sweet Potato Root
Weevil Control and Eradication Work.
H. L. Dozier, Entomological Assistant at the Experiment
Station, has enlisted in the Hospital Service of our country.
Mr. R. N. Wilson, until recently Farm Demonstration Agent
of Palm Beach County, has accepted a similar position in River-
side County, Calif. Florida has lost a good scientist and a val-
uable citizen.
Dr. E. A. Back, In Charge of Stored Products Insects, and
Mr. Walton, In Charge of Cereal and Forage Crops, both of
the Bureau of Entomology, were recent visitors to the State.
Mr. Thomas H. Jones, Agent of the Bureau of Entomology,
was recently in Florida looking over the ground with a view to
establishing a substation for the investigation of truck crop
insects.
BULLETIN NOTICES
“The Silverfish,” by E. A. Bach, Farmers’ Bulletin 902, will
interest everyone who owns a book in Florida.
A 100-page bulletin on Citrus Insects, a companion piece to
the bulletin on Truck Crop Insects, has been published by the
Experiment Station.
WANTED—Diurnal Lepidotera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Dr. John A. Comstock, 321 South
Hill St., Los Angeles, California.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 65
THYSANOPTERA OF FLORIDA
(Continued from page 55)
lector is not indicated, the collection and identification are those
of the writer.
This should be considered as preeminently only a preliminary
list and by no means complete. It is thought, however, that it
includes all species that have been recorded in entomological
literature as occurring in the State. The only locality in which
the writer has done systematic collecting is that about Gaines-
ville, and even this small area is by no means exhausted.
Nevertheless the list contains more than four times as many
species as Smith lists in his “Insects of New Jersey’. When
one considers that in most orders of insects the New Jersey list
is much larger than the corresponding one of Florida (not be-
cause New Jersey has more species but because it has been more
thoroly worked than Florida), it becomes evident that Florida
is rich both in species and individuals as compared with states
further north.
In addition to notes on the distribution, food plants, season,
and habits of our Florida species, this list contains keys to the
species in general to which the author has added new species.
This seems desirable because no adequate keys are in existence.
These keys have in most cases been modified from those of other
authors and unless otherwise indicated from Moulton (1911).
There has been appended bibliography of those works found
most useful in the study of our Florida species and all papers
in which Florida captures have been recorded. Any one wish-
ing to identify our species for himself should be able to do this
by means of this list and Moulton’s work (see bibliography,
Moulton, 1911).
FAMILY AEOLOTHRIPIDAE
1. Molothrips floridensis Watson. (Watson, 1916.)
Gainesville, April 1918, on oats. Mar., 1915, on oats and corn. A
comparatively rare species has been taken a few times on oats and
corn always associated with the next species.
2. Molothrips bicolor Hinds. (Hinds, ’02.) THE BLACK AND WHITE
CEREAL THRIPS.
Quincy, 1915, on oats (Hooker, ’07); March, ’09, collected by H.
F. Wilson on Plantago virginica, corn, onions (Morgan, 713); May
14, 1909, on rutabaga (Morgan, 713).
Gainesville, April 23, 1914, on oats; Mar., 1915, on strawberries and
citrus.
66
the
8.
a:
THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
This is our common cereal thrips and is often abundant on oats in
the spring and damages them materially.
Franklinothrips vespiformis (Crawford). (Crawford, ’09.)
Orlando, late February to summer on leaves of citrus. (AVolothrips
vespiformis Back, 712.)
FAMILY THRIPIDAE
Thrips quinciensis Morgan. (Morgan, 713.) THE QUINCY THRIPS.
Quincy, collected by A. C. Morgan and G. A. Runner on Pinckneya
pubens Mx.
Thrips spinosus Morgan, (Morgan, 13.) THE MAGNOLIA THRIPS.
Quincy, May 1910. Collected by A. C. Mason and G. A. Runner in
blossoms of Magnolia grandiflora.
Gainesville, May 1915-17, in blossoms of Magnolia grandiflora.
This thrips may be found quite abundantly in practically all Mag-
nolia blooms and has been found nowhere else.
Thrips tabaci Lindeman. (Redescribed by Hinds, ’02, p. 179.) THE
ONION THRIPS.
Lake City, 1897-8. On onions, cabbage, cauliflower, and crabgrass
(Panicum sanguinale). (Quaintance, ’98.)
Gainesville, Nov.-June, on onions.
Generally distributed, probably in every onion field in the State, arid
does great damage every year. It is the most serious enemy of
onions in the State. Affected onions are characterized by white
blanched and dying tips. For remedies see Bull. 134, Fla. Ag. Exp.
Sta. Cosmopolitan in its distribution.
Thrips abdomalis Crawford. (Crawford, 710, p. 157.)
Quincy, March ’09. Collected from tobacco by H. F. Wilson; May
17, 1910, on Senecio by G. A. Runner and A. C. Morgan. (Mor-
gan, 713.)
Key West, April 238, 1912. “Miscellaneous collecting” by G. A.
Runner and A. C. Morgan. (Morgan, ’13.)
Gainesville, Oct.-Nov., 1913, on Solidago and other composites.
Extends north to Maryland and Illinois, and west to Mexico.
Plesiothrips perplecus (Beach). (Beach, ’95.) (Thrips perplexus,
Hindss:023)
Quincy, Sept. 8, 1909, on grass. (Morgan ,’13.)
Extends north to Maryland and Iowa, and west to Texas.
Heliothrips haemorrhodalis Bouche. (Redescribed by Hinds, ’02.) THE
GREENHOUSE THRIPS.
Miami, Sept. 1915; 1908, collected by P. J. Webster on mango and
avocado. (Russell, ’09.)
Orlando, on foliage of Acer rubrum. (Black, 712.)
Gainesville, Jan. 28, 1913, in a greenhouse; May 1917, very destruc-
tive to Coleus out of doors.
In the northern states this insect is confined to greenhouses, hence
the name. But in Florida it is common about gardens and orna-
mentals out of doors.
HO:
UAE
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
1
18.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 67
Heliothrips rubrocinctus (Giard). (Russell, 712.) THE RED-BANDED
Turies. (Physophus rubrocinctus, Giard, ’01, p. 263.)
Miami, collected in 1908 on mango (Magnifera indica) and avocado
(Persea gratissima) by P. J. Webster (Russell, 712), Dec. 1914.
July 1914, on mango.
This insect, introduced from the West Indies, is now abundant on
mangoes about Miami, Ft. Myers (Dr. E. W. Berger) Frostproof
and West Palm Beach.
It is a severe pest and causes the leaves to loose their color and ul-
timately to fall.
Echinothrips americana Morgan (Morgan, ’13, p. 16.) THE SPINY
THRIPS.
Quincy, Sept. ’09 on Magnolia grandiflora and “Coffee Bean”; May
18, 1910, on Pokeweed. (Morgan, ’13.)
Extends north to Missouri and Maryland.
Limothrips cerealium Haliday, ’82. (Redescribed by Hinds, ’02, p.
139.) (L. avena, Hinds.) THE CEREAL THRIPS.
Quincy, May ’10, on oats. (Morgan, ’13.)
Extends north to Massachusetts and Illinois; west to Texas and
Kansas. In Europe also.
Chirothrips crassus Hinds ’02.
Quincy, Oct. and Nov. 1915. (Hooker, 1907.)
Chirothrips manicatus Haliday (’76). (Redescribed by Hinds, ’02
joy) dksy'F))
Quincy, collected on oats on March 20, 1909, by H. F. Wilson. (Mor-
ean 33)
Extends north to Massachusetts and Iowa; Oregon and British
Columbia; Europe.
Scolothrips 6-maculatus Pergande (’91.) THE RED-SPIDER HUNTER
Orlando, spring of 1909. ‘“‘Found feeding on red-spiders on citrus
and several weeds.” (Back, ’12.)
Winter Haven, April 1916. (Dr. E. W. Berger, Coll.)
Extends north to New York and Missouri and Wisconsin; Hawaiian
Islands.
Aleurodothrips fasciapennis Franklin. THE WHITEFLY THRIPS.
Orlando, March and fall of 1909. (Back, ’12.)
Gainesville, Oct. 2, 1912, on citrus leaves.
Feeds on whiteflies but is too scarce to be of much importance.
Odontothrips phaleratus (Haliday). (Thrips phalerata, Haliday.)
Quincy, on Plantago virginica, H. F. Wilson. (Morgan, ’13.)
Frankliniella fusca (Hinds). (Huthrips fuscus. (Hinds, ’02.) THE
ToBacco THRIPS. (Enicotianae Hinds, ’05.)
Quincy, on tobacco 1905 (Hooker, ’07); March 1909, on Plantago
virginiana, tobacco and life-everlasting, H. F. Wilson collector;
May, on peanuts and sorrel. (Morgan, ‘13.) Tobacco, cocklebur
(Xanthium glabratum), dewberry, mustard and shepherd’s purse.
(Chittenden, ’04).
Gainesville, April 23, 1914, on oats; Feb. 4, 1915, on turnips. March
1915, on strawberries.
68 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Extends west to Texas; north to Massachusetts and Michigan and
South Dakota. A common pest of tobacco.
In the original description Hinds states that the ocelli are
smaller than the facets of the eyes. While this is true in many
of the specimens collected at Gainesville, in others the ocelli are
larger. This character is variable as is also the color and the
presence of wings.
19. Frankliniella floridana n. sp.
FEMALE, Measurements. Total length 0.7 mm. Head, length 0.09 mm.,
width 0.13 mm.; prothorax, length 0.07 mm., width 0.17 mm.; mesothorax
0.19 mm wide; width of abdomen in widest place 0.20 mm.; antennae, seg-
ment 1, 21°°2, 29% 3. 3° 2405 be oOr Gsdos) We lice Seal Sumicrons:
Color of the body bright yellow with brown blotches in center of thorax.
The posterior margins of the first abdominal segments very dark, forming
five narrow conspicuous bands across the dorsal surface.
Head pale yellowish gray with a darker area about the ocelli; deeply
retracted into the prothorax; anterior margin slightly rounded, bearing
two moderately long and thick but pale spines, similar but smaller spines
along the sides.
Eyes large, not protruding, deep red. Ocelli large, posterior pair sep-
arated from the eyes by more than the width of the ocelli; orange yellow
bordered and nearly surrounded by deep orange crescents which are wider
than the ocelli. These crescents are separated from each other by a
space narrower than the crescents. Mouth cone long, narrow, reaching
entirely across the prothorax. Antennae inserted so far below the margin
of the head as to completely hide the first segment. First and second seg-
ments, all but the extreme apex and base of the third, and the basal halves
of the fourth and fifth grayish yellow, a little lighter than the head, re-
mainder dark brown, giving the antennae a distinctly ringed appearance.
Spines on the basal portion few but moderately long, thick and heavy, dark
colored. On the apical portion they are more numerous but pale, short and
inconspicuous.
Prothorax oblong-oval in outline, anterior margin slightly and the sides
markedly convex, surface obscurely reticulated, a large triangle in the cen-
ter conspicuously outlined in dark brown, destitute of conspicuous spines.
Mesothorax widest, with sides and anterior margin strongly convex.
Metathorax with straight sides but diverging sharply posteriorly.
Legs moderately long and slender, yellowish-gray with the tarsi and a
large spot on the femora brown.
Wings light gray with two dark bands across the basal third, 19 spines
on the fore veins and 22 on hind; dark, thick, heavy; four near the base
of the fore vein short, others long. Hairs on the margins long but few in
number.
Abdomen short; sides of the anterior portion, first five segments, arched,
of the remainder straight and sharply converging. Anteriorly the spines
are short and inconspicuous, posteriorly rather short but heavy.
Described from several specimens taken from velvet beans (Stizilobium),
Gainesville, Fla., July 1918. Type in the author’s collection. Male not seen.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 69
This species is about the size of the California species F. minutus as
given in the original description, but differs markedly in color, position
of the posterior ocelli, length of the mouth cone, and other characters. It
is a very distinct species.
20. Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande.) (Redescribed by Hinds, ’02,
Deal S21)
(Euthrips occidentalis Pergande, ’91).
Dade City, May 12, 1910, on beans, collected by Hunter and Mor-
gan. (Morgan, ’13).
Manatee, March 1911, on mango, H. F. Schultz, collector. (Mor-
Panewe las)
21. Frankliniella stylosa Hood.
(Euthrips floridensis Morgan, 713, p. 5).
Quincy, on Asclepias variegata L and in blossoms of Catalpa ca-
talpa. Morgan, ’13.
Extends north to Maryland.
22. Frankliniella bispinosus (Morgan, 713.) THE 2-SPINED FLOWER THRIPS.
Described from Dade City where it was taken in blooms of Yucca,
May 1910.
Gainesville on oats, April ’14; roses, April 1912; blooms of compo-
sitae, Oct. 1913.
Miami, April 1916, on avocado blooms which it severely damages.
23. Frankliniella bispinosus projectus Watson (Watson, 715.) THE FLor-
IDA FLOWER THRIPS.
Gainesville, has been taken every month in the year in roses, and
could be taken almost any day and in a great variety of blossoms,
but mostly in those of an open structure. Our most common thrips.
Begonia (Nov.), tomatoes (March-May), compositae (Oct.-Dec.),
Aesculus pavia (Mar.), peaches (Jan.-Mar.), Persea (March), peas
(April), petunias, roses, Cornus floridensis, wild plum (Feb.),
Cercis canadensis (Feb.), cherry laurel (Feb.), citrus; Ft. Ogden,
citrus; Gulfport, on sea grape (Cocolobus floridana) Oct. 1913;
Dania, Ft. Lauderdale and Pompano, on tomatoes, Feb. 1913, White
City.
Not usually found in blossoms with a tube but the petunia is an
exception. Prefers light colored, white or yellow blossoms.
Certainly most and probably all, the insects that have been men-
tioned in the Florida literature as EHuthrips tritici belong to this or
the preceding variety. The writer has not seen typical Huthrips
tritici from Florida, but has collected it as far south as Swanna-
noa, N. C., and has it from Atlanta, Ga., and Alvin, Texas. It
is at once told from either of the above varieties by the second seg-
ment of the antennae which is asymmetrical. In both of the
varieties there are on the dorsal surface of this segment, two prom-
inent spines. In var. projectus in addition this segment is pro-
longed anteriorally on the dorsal side so as to project over the
third segment. This is particularly marked in the male. In the
female the segment is, in addition, very long.
70 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
24. Bregmatothrips gracilis Hood & Williams (715).
Orlando, Nov. 5 and 8, 1914, C. B. Williams, collector.
25. Pseudothrips inequalis Beach (’96). (Redescribed by Hinds, ’02, p.
146.)
Quincy, May 17, 1910, on Senecio. (Morgan, 13.)
Gainesville, Nov. 19138, on wild Begonia.
Extends north to Maryland and Iowa.
26. Heterothrips ariswemae, Hood. THE INDIAN-TURNIP THRIPS.
Quincy, March 1909, on honeysuckle and Rhodendron ulmiflorum,
H. F. Wilson, collector. (Morgan, ’13.)
Extends north to Virginia and Illinois.
27. Heterothrips aesculi Watson (715). THE BUCKEYE THRIPS.
Gainesville, Mar. 1914, April 1915, in blossoms of Aesculus pavia.
Very common in blossoms of this plant.
KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF HETEROTHRIPS
J. Prothorax twice as long as the head; antennae with apparently nine
segments.
a. Antennae without circles of distal sensoria on segment 4.
b. Segment 3 hght yellow, palest at the base; segment 4
brownish, palest toward the base; articulations of seg-
ments brown, not clear; wings brown, paler at base. An-
terior femora shading to yellow at apex; fore tibiae yellow,
shaded with brown laterally; tarsi yellow....H. salicis Shull.
bb. Segment 3 yellow with white bands; segment 4 yellow to
brown, lightest at the apex; some articulations brown,
others clear; wings brown with a broad white band near
the base. Anterior femora shading to brownish yellow at
the apex; fore tibiae brownish yellow; tarsi brownish yel-
TOW ae es ene ee Sa nee H. aesculi Watson.
aa. Antennae with distal circles on segment 4; segments 1 and 2
slightly lighter than the body, shaded laterally with black; seg-
ment 3 hght yellow, with a narrow sub-basal white band; distal
third shaded with brown; segments 4-9 uniform light blackish
brown except band of sensoria on segment 4. Wings blackish
brown with a broad white band near the base. Legs concolorous
with the body except tarsi and distal part of fore tibias which
arenyelloW.. ...5:-.45. 0s ee ee H. arisaemae Hood.
II. Prothorax less than twice as long as head.
a. Antennae with apparently ten segments; circles of sense areas on
segments 4 and 5 (corresponding to segments 3 and 4 of other
species of Heterothrips) light yellow; all others dark brown.
Wings light brown, basal one-sixth clear. H. decacornis Crawford.
aa. Antennae with nine segments.
b. Posterior margins of abdominal tergites not fringed with
scales.
ec. Abdomen not pubescent ................ H. borinquen Hood. .
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS Teal
cc. Abdomen closely pubescent; thorax finely striate.
d. Third antennae segment about 3.6 times as
long as greatest width, grayish yellow.
H. analis Hood.
dd. Third antennal segment less than 3 times as
long as wide; pale yellow with orange pig-
Ment) eee H. vitis Hood. (Hood 1916.)
bb. Posterior margins of abdominal tergites 1-7 fringed with
GHMUIMO USI S Calle spe ene eee H. pectinifer Hood.
FAMILY MEROTHRIPIDAE
28. Merothrips Morgan Hood.
Pine Key, Jan. 1914. Found by Mr. R. C. Shannon in shell and
debris. Taken by Mr. John B. Henderson.
Extends north to Maryland and Illinois.
FAMILY PHLOEOTHRIPIDAE
29. Anthothrips niger Osborn. (Redescribed by Hinds ’02, p. 188.)
Quincy, 1905, on oats, wheat and tomatoes (Hooker, ’07); March-
May on Plantago virginica, rye, corn, rutabaga, oats, tomatoes,
cocoa-grass. A. C. Morgan and H. F. Wilson. (Morgan, 713.)
30. Anthothrips dozieri n. sp.
2?.—Measurements. Length 1.5 mm. Head, length 0.187 mm., width
0.187 mm.; prothorax, length 0.16 mm., width 0.267 mm.; mesothorax,
width 0.31 mm.; abdomen, width ; tube, length 0.126 mm., width at
base 0.069 mm., at the end 0.035 mm.; antennae, segment 1, 24; 2, 46;
DOE OS SEO MOM: Oralis h, 29s. 65 20) microns:) total length) 0312 mms:
Color uniformly dark reddish brown except segments 3-6 of antennae.
Legs 3-5 yellow, base of 6 yellowish-brown, apex light brown. Eyes red-
dish brown.
Head square; cheeks slightly arched and somewhat converging poster-
iorly. Ocelli large, posterior pair situated well forward, opposite the
anterior third of the eyes whose margins they nearly touch, concolorous
with the eyes. Mouth cone rather long and acute, reaching nearly to the
posterior border of the prothorax. Post-ocular spine short and slender,
tipped with a small and almost colorless but distinct knob as are all the
spines on the anterior part of the body.
Antennae 8-segmented; segments rounded, the fourth somewhat thicker
than the others. Sense cones and spines short, light-colored, and incon-
spicuous.
Prothorax wider than long, sides arched and converging markedly an-
teriorly; knobbed spines on both the anterior and posterior angles short.
Mesothorax somewhat wider, sides nearly parallel. One large, knobbed
spine along the margin opposite the base of the wing. Other spines small
and not knobbed.
Legs short and slender, weak, fore femora not thickened.
Wings well developed. Membrane reaching three-fourths the length of
72 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
the abdomen; decidedly constricted in the middle. Hairs of the fringe long
and nearly equal in length; seven of a second row present.
Abdomen swollen posteriorally. Rather long spines on the posterior por-
tion, not knobbed. Tube tapering markedly, its length exceeded by six
of the longer terminal spines.
Described from a single female.
Collected from Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) by beating, Mar.
1917, by H. L. Dozier.
Type in the author’s collection.
In the author’s key (Entomological News, XXVII, p. 129) this species
goes to A. Flavipes Jones, but it differs markedly in its size, relative
length of antennal segments, and the color of the antennae and tarsi.
KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF ANTHOTHRIPS
I. Postocular spines wanting; antennae almost uniformly brown except
segment 3 and base of 4, which are light brown.—A. niger Osborn.
II. Postocular spines well developed.
a. Postocular spines and most of those on the Rosten Onl aechal margin
of abdominal segments knobbed.
b. Total length 2.2 mm.; only the base of antennal segment 3 yel-
low; wings with 10-12 hairs of a second row. A flavipes Jones.
bb. Total body length 1.5 mm.; antennal segments 3-5 yellow; 7 hairs
of a second row present. A. dozieri n. sp.
aa. Posterior and abdominal spines not knobbed.
b. Apex of femora with a small anteriorally directed triangular
tooth within; antennae uniformly brownish-black.
—A. nigricornis Jones.
bb. Apex of femora without such tooth.
ec. Segments 3-6 of antennae bright yellow, abdominal spines
(except those of the tube) slender and rather faint.
—A. verbasci Osborn
cc. Segments 38-6 of antennae light brown, abdominal spines
stout and conspicuous.—A. Variabilis Crawford.
cece. Only segment 3 of antennae wholly bright yellow; abdo-
minal spines short and inconspicuous.
—A. floridensis Watson
31. Anthothrips verbasci Osborn. (Redescribed by Hinds ’02.) (THE
MULLEIN THRIPS.)
Quincy, on corn, May. (Morgan, ’13.)
32. Anthothrips floridensis Watson. (‘16.) ..(THE FLORIDA ANTHOTHRIPS. )
Gainesville, April 22, 1914, on maize.
33. Trichothrips amplipennis Morgan. (’13, p. 33.)
Quincy, May 15, 1910. On Hypericum solabriforme. (G. A. Run-
ner and A. C. Morgan). (Morgan, 713.)
34. Trichothrips terminalis, Hood & Williams (’15).
Orlando, collected from stump of a tree, Nov. 15, 1914, by C. B.
Williams.
'
}
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SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 73
35. Trichothrips fuscus Morgan (’138, p. 36).
Quincy, May 21, 1910, swept from Spice-bush (Morgan, 713).
36. Symphyothrips punctatus Hood & Williams (713).
Orlando, Jan. 21, 1913. Collected in body of orange tree by W. W.
Yothers.
37. Acanthothrips magnafemoralis Hinds (’02, p. 199). (BIG-LEGGED
THRIPS. )
Miami, Hinds ’02. Type locally. “Food plant unknown.” “Under
bark of various trees and in dried leaves.” North to Massachusetts
and Illinois. (Hood, 717).
38. Cephalothrips yucca Hinds (’02, p. 194). (THE Yucca THRIPS.)
Quincy, May 1910, on Yucca (Morgan, ’13).
Extends north to Massachusetts and South to Barbadoes. (Hood,
ales)
39. Cryptothrips floridensis Watson (713). (THE CAMPHOR THRIPS.)
Satsuma the original locality, Nov. 1912. W. O. Richtman collec-
tor. On camphor at all seasons, Glen St. Mary, Tampa, St. Peters-
burg, Lakeland, Macclenny. This would seem to be an introduced
species, as it is not found in many localities in Florida. It has
recently been found in Alabama and New Orleans, always on cam-
phor. The writer has received specimens from Ceylon.
40. Cryptothrips pini Watson (’15). (THE PINE THRIPS.)
Gainesville, March, May, 1914. Common on pine trees among the
needles.
41. Cryptothrips citri, n. sp.
FEMALE. Measurements. Total length 1.4 mm. Head, length, 0.16
mm., width 0.14 mm.; prothorax, length, 0.17 mm., width (including coxae),
0.28 mm.; abdomen, greatest width 0.27 mm.; tube, length 0.12 mm., width
at base 0.053 mm., at apex 0.033 mm.; antenna, segment 1, 22; 2, 42;
SOA Ooo nee, 41° 7,415 8,28 microns. Lotal 0:32 mm:
Color brown,, tibiae, tarsi, and third antennal segments yellowish-brown.
Head rounded in front; widest immediately behind the eyes and con-
verging slightly behind; sides slightly convex; surface smooth; postocular
spines moderately stout, about 50 microns long, knobbed. Eyes medium
sized, orange by reflected light, black by transmitted light in balsam
mounts; facets large. Ocelli yellow; the anterior facing obliquely up-
ward; the posterior pair widely separated, contiguous with the margins
of the eyes about .4 of the distance from the anterior ends. Mouth cone
very broad at base, a little broader than the posterior end of the head,
about .6 as long as broad, very rounding at the apex, not reaching the
middle of the prothorax.
Antennae 8-segmented, nearly 1.5 times as long as the head. Segment
1 and base of 2 concolorous with the head, apex of 2 and segments 4 to 8
light brown, 3 yellow. Spines and sense cones short and light in color,
inconspicuous.
Prothorax triangular in outline, the posterior angles very rounding,
each bearing a moderately long, knobbed, light-colored spine. On each
74 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
side there is a somewhat longer spine and on each anterior angle a shorter
one.
Metathorax a little norrower than the prothorax; sides converging
posteriorly; destitute of conspicuous spines. Legs of medium length. Fore
femora considerably enlarged. Legs provided with a few short hairs.
Wings reaching tip of abdomen. Fore pair constricted in the middle.
fringed with long hairs; near the apex are three or four hairs of a second
row.
Abdomen, first three segments destitute of conspicuous spines but poster-
ior segments bear progressively longer ones and the last segment a pair of
very long but pale ones. Tube rather small.
Described from three specimens collected at Fruitland Park, Fla., in
Nov. 1916, under the loose bark of a citrus tree. This tree was affected
with gummosis, a bark disease, and the bark was hanging in loose flakes.
The insects were found under these flakes. Type in the author’s collection.
Males unknown.
KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF CRYPTOTHRIPS
I. Antenna 8-segmented.
a. With prominent post-ocular spines.
b. Color uniformly black except the tarsi which are blackish
brown; body length about 2.22 mm. .............. C. carbonarius.
bb. Body color dark yellowish brown. Post-ocular spines
knobbed.
c. About 1.7 mm. long. Head twice as long as wide. A
dark spot behind each ocellus. Antennal segment 3
muchs shortens hia 4s pees ne anes C. salicis Jones.
cc. About 1.4 mm. long. Head little longer than wide.
Without dark spots behind each ocellus. Antennal seg-
ment synearly, as lone as 49.2 C. citri n. sp.
aa. No post-ocular spines. Color dark brown to coal black.
b. Antenna black but segment 3 with two brownish yellow
bands. Body length about 2.7 mm. C. rectangularis Hood.
bb. Antennal segments 3 to 6 clear yellow, 8 and tip of 7 yel-
lowish-brown. Body length about 1.9 mm.
C. floridensis Watson
bbb. Antennal segment 3 brownish yellow; others brown, darker
at tip. Body 1.7 mm. Antenna 7-segmented.
C. junctus Hood.
42. Barythrips sculpticauda Hood & Williams (’15).
Orlando Nov. 5, 1914. Collected from a pine stump by C. B. Wil-
liams.
43. Letpthothrips mali Fitch. (THE BLACK GARDEN THRIPS.)
(Cryptothrips aspersus, Hinds ’02. Phyllothrips aspersus Hood
’08., Leptothrips aspersus, Houd ’09).
Quincy, on magnolia, beans, coffee-bean, cotton, Cersis, ete. (Mor-
anyaeloe)
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
I.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 75
Orlando, “‘All times of the year on citrus foliage.” (Back, 712.)
Key West, “Miscellaneous collecting.”” Runner & Morgan. (Mor-
gan, ’13.)
Gainesville, on leaves of citrus at all seasons, radishes, Nov. 19,
1914; mustard and turnips, Jan. 1915; abundant on avocados 1915.
On grasses. Our most common black Thrips.
Extends north to Massachusetts; west to California and South to
Panama and Barbadoes. (Hood, 717.)
Haplothrips (?) bellus, Hood & Williams (715).
Orlando, Nov. 8, 1914, on rushes.
Leesburg, Nov. 16, 1914, “From grasses at edge of canal’.
Emeralda, Nov. 17, 1914, on rushes. All collected by C. B. Williams.
Haplothrips statices Holiday.
SKMorida- Hood, “17)).
Extends north to New York and Michigan and west to California
and Oregon.
Zygothrips bicolor Hood & Williams (715).
Orlando, Nov. 5 to 8, 1914, from Spanish moss on pine tree, on
bamboo, on rushes. E. B. Williams, collector.
Emeralda, Nov. 17, on rushes. E. B. Williams, collector.
Phloeothrips raptor Crawford (710).
Quincy, “Miscellaneous collecting.” (Morgan, 713.)
Phloeothrips floridensis Watson (’13).
Gainesville, under bark of citrus in greenhouse. Jan. 1913.
KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF PHLOEOTHRIPS
Postocular spines long and conspicuous.
a. Segment 3 of antennae longer than 1 and 2 together; body color
dark reddish brown; antennae light brown.
b. Head nearly 1.3 times as long as wide; antennae 1.3 as long
as head; segment 3 more than 1.5 times as long as 1 and
LOM TNC hee ete sats ee ee eee ee wee P. jennei Jones.
bb. Head slightly more than 1.3 times as long as wide; anten-
nae 1.5 times as long as head; segment 3 about 1.1 times
as long as segment 1 and 2 together; males with teeth at
apexotutore, femora: 32... ise ee P. armiger Jones
aa. Segment 3 of antennae shorter than 1 and 2 together; antennae
mostly brown or with only the bases of segments 3 to 7 yellow.
b. General color yellowish brown, with considerable irregular
red hypodermal pigmentation; antennae twice as long as
the head or nearly so. Cheeks slightly arched.
ec. Legs grayish brown; body length 1.68 mm.; postocu-
lar bristles knobbed; mouth cone reaching across pro-
GIT O Weel xem ck Mies Pee! A acs Sh Re Se P. pergander. Hinds.
cc. Femora brownish yellow; tibiae and tarsi yellow;
body length 2.5 mm.; poctocular bristles not knobbed;
mouth cone reaching two-thirds the distance across
NOLO Axe ee ae P. floridensis Watson
76 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
bb. General color brown; fore tibiae and all tarsi light brown;
cheeks strongly arched; antennae 1.5 times as long as the
WV Ca Gl ee eee oe es oe ele ee Ne reer ae P. raptor Crawford.
bbb. General color dark brown, tibiae and tarsi bright yellow;
cheeks nearly straight; antennae 1.75 times as long as
He ad SSeS Bsa Oe ee ee Be P. uzeli Hinds.
II. Postocular spine wanting; general color dark mahogany brown, with
many small white pigmental markings along head, thorax, abdomen
FW OK Me 2 18s re ee SD cet ae Ia creer res ME Pere chet a a P. maculatus Hood
49. Liothrips flavoantennis Watson (716). (YELLOW-HORNED THRIPS.)
Gainesville, Fla., April 23, 1914. On wild grape.
50. Liothrips caryae var. floridensis Watson (716). (THE HICKORY-GALL
THRIPS. )
Gainesville, Fla., May and June 1914-16. In galls of Phylloxera on
hickory.
51. Gynaikothrips useli Zimmerman. (THE CUBAN LAUREL THRIPS.)
(Mesothrips ficorum, Marchal, Liothrips bakeri Crawford.)
Key West on Ficus (Russell, Bur. Ent. Bull. 99).
Miami, Fla., Wilmon Newell. A severe pest.
52. Anophothrips megaceps Hood and Williams (’15.).
Emeralda, Fla., Nov. 17, 1914, E. B. Williams, collector.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FLORIDA THYSANOPTERA _
Back, E. A.
1912, Some New Thysanoptera from Florida, Ent. News, Feb. 1912.
Crawford, D. L.
1909, Some Thysanoptera of Mexico and the South, Pomona Coll. Jour.
Ent., Vol. I, No. 4, pp. 100-121. Figs.
1910. Thysanoptera of Mexico and the South ,II do. Vol. 2, No. 31.
Chittenden, F. H.
1904 Yearbook, U. S. D. A.
Daniel, S. M.
1904. New California Thysanoptera—Ent. News, Vol. 15, pp. 293-297.
Fitch, Asa.
1854. First Rep. Nox Ins. State, N. Y., p. 102.
1856. Third Rep. Nox Ins. State, in An. Rep. N. Y. State Agr. Soc.
Vol. XVI, p. 445.
Hranklin, sel, ede
1908. On a collection of Thysanopterous Insects from Barbadoes and
St. Vincent Islands—Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. 33, pp. 715-730.
1909. On Thysanoptera—Ent. News, Vol. 20, pp. 228-281.
Giard, A.
1901. Bull. Soc. Ent. France.
Hinds, W. E.
1902. Contributions to a monograph of the insects of the order Thys-
anoptera inhabiting North America—Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 25,
pp. 79-242, pls. 1-11.
1905. Proc. Biol. So. Wash., Vol. XVIII, p. 197.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS ee
Hood, J. D.
1908. New Gernera and species of Illinois Thysanoptera, Bull. II
State Lab. Nat. Hist., Vol. 8, Art. 2, pp. 361-378.
1908. Can. Ent., Vol. XL., p. 305.
1909. Ent. News, Vol. XX, p. 32.
1914. On the proper generic names for certain Thysanoptera on
- economic importance. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., Vol. 14, pp. 34-44.
1914. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. X XVII, pp. 151-172.
1915. Descriptions of New American Thysanoptera, Insecutor Insci-
tiae Menstruus, Vol. III, No. 1-4, pp. 1-40.
1916. A New Sp. of Heterothrips from E. U. S—Ent. News. 27 No.
3:
1917. An annotated list of the Thysanoptera of Plummer’s Island,
Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus.
Hood, J. D. and Williams, C. B. ;
1915. New Thysanoptera from Florida and Louisiana, Jour. of New
York Entomological Society, Vol. XXIII, No. 2, pp. 121-138 (June
1915).
Hooker, W. A.
1907. The Tobacco Thrips. U.S. D. A. Bur. Ent. Bull. 65.
Jones, Paul R.
1912. Some New California and Georgia Thysanoptera. U.S. D. A.
Bur. Ent. Technical Series, Bull. 23, Pt. 1.
Morgan, A. C.
1913. New Genera and Species of Thysanoptera with notes on distri-
bution and food plants. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. 46.
Multon, Dudley.
1907. Contributions to our Knowledge of the Thysanoptera of Cali-
fornia, U. S. D. A. Bur. Ent. Technical Series Bull. 12, Pt. III.
1911. Synopsis, Catalogue and Bibliography of North American Thys-
anoptera. U.S. D. A. Bur. Ent. Technical Series No. 21.
Lindeman, K.
1888. Die. schadl. Insekten d. Tabak in Bessarabien, pp. 61-75.
Osborn, H.
1888. Rep’t. U. S. D. A. for 1888.
Quaintance, A. L.
1898. The Strawberry Thrips and the Onion Thrips. Fla. Exp. Sta.
Bull. 46.
Russell, H. M.
1909. The Greenhouse Thrips. U.S. D. A. Bur. Ent. Bull. 64, Pt. VI.
1912. Notes on Thysanoptera, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., Vol. XIV, p. 13.
1912. The Red-Banded Thrips. U. S. D. A. Bur. Ent Bull. 99, Pt. II.
Watson, J. R.
1913. New Thysanoptera from Florida. Ent. News, Vol. 24, p. 145.
19138. An Unusual Type of Injury Due to Thrips. Jour. Ec. Ent.
Wolk 6; .p. 413 ((Oct:):.
1915. New Thysanoptera from Florida II, Ent. News, Feb. 1915, Vol.
26, No. 2.
1916. New Thysanoptera from Florida III, Ent. News, Vol. 27, No. 3.
78 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
A PARTIAL LIST OF THE DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA INDI-
GENOUS TO FORT MYERS, EXCLUSIVE OF
THE HESPERIDAE
By SHIRLEY B. WALKER
Papilio ajax, Linn., Var. floridensis, Holland.
Papilio ajax, Linn., Var. marcellus, Boisd.
Papilio asterias, Fab.
Papilio cresphontes, Cramer.
Papilio palamedes, Drury.
Papilio philenor, Linn.
Papilio troilus, Linn.
Papilio turnus, Linn.
Pipilio turnus, Linn., Dimorphic?, glaucus, Linn.
Catopsilis agarithe, Boisd.
Catopsilis eubule, Linn.
Catopsilis eubule, Linn., Albino Form.
Terias lisa, Boisd.-Lec.
Terias nicippe, Cramer.
Anosia berenice, Cramer.
Anosia plexippus, Linn.
Basilarchia floridensis, Strecker.
Lycaena ammon, Lucas.
Lycaena hanno, Stoll.
Lycaena marina, Reakirt.
Lycaena theonus, Lucas.
Thecla melinus, Hubner.
Anartia jatrophae, Linn.
Grapta interrogationis, Dimorphic Form—umbrosa, Lintner.
Chlorippe alicia, Edwards.
Neonympha phocion, Fab.
Neonympha sosybius, Fab.
Pyrameis huntera, Fab.
Pyrameis atalanta, Linn.
Junonia coenia, Hubner.
Junonia genoveva, Cramer.
Dione vanillae, Linn.
Euptoieta claudia, Cramer.
Heliconius charitonius, Linn.
Pieris monuste, Linn.
Eunica sp. (probably tatila).
Nathalis iole, Boisd.
SPRING AND SUMMER NUMBERS 79
A member suggests that, instead of bombarding the Germans
with bombs, copies of Wilson’s declaration of war, etc., we load
up a few aeroplanes with Colorado potato beetles and spread
them over the empire. Would the Hague Convention allow this?
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this
genus, of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive
Florida specimens, especially of the rarer species. Will ex-
change or pay reasonable cash prices. Address W. Knaus, Mc-
te Sou Kansas.
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Florida Buggist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VOL. II FALL NUMBER NO. 2
September, 1918
(Printed in November)
ENTOMOLOGY AS A PURE SCIENCE*
By E. W. BERGER
My chief concern about this society and its publication (THE
FLORIDA BUGGIST) is that it should always reflect Entomology as
a true science, as distinguished from Applied Entomology or
Economic Entomology. From the nature of our organization, we
shall not need to worry about the applied side not being duly
represented, for we are practically all economic entomologists,
or near-entomologists, or otherwise interested in insects that
injure crops. But, if for no other reason than for the sake of
those in our organization whose training in entomology has
been limited, I believe that we should make every effort to
present some papers and articles having a bearing upon the
science of entomology in its broader aspects. For instance,
Prof. Watson’s paper on The Thysanoptera of Florida (THE
FLORIDA BUGGIST, Vol. I, No. 4 and Vol. II, No. 1) is such a
paper, it being a distinct and permanent contribution to the
science.
There was a time, perhaps not a hundred years ago, when
science was studied for the sake of knowing, for the information
that it yielded about the natural things surrounding us, and the
pleasure it afforded to the few. More recently, however, it
has become the business of mankind to apply scientific knowledge
of all kinds in every-day affairs so that men and institutions have
arisen whose primary object it is to make science practical. This
condition of affairs has caught the attention of the public and the
business man, so that pure science has stood in danger of being
neglected. But it is apparent to the thoughtful that in order to
*Paper read before the Florida Entomological Society, Dec. 17, 1917.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Buggist.
Please mention Buggist when you write our advertisers.
82 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
keep up the supply of new ideas, principles and knowledge for the
workers in applied science, the investigations in pure science
must be continued. In other words, if new ideas, new principles,
new facts were not being brought out continually, the worker in
applied science, including economic entomology, would soon be
at a standstill. :
As an illustration of the importance of isolated and apparently
insignificant facts and principles, the development of another
science appeals to me, and I believe that this also lends itself bet-
ter as an illustration.
As an example of the slow accretion of knowledge, sometimes
accidental, sometimes fostered studiously by individuals, later
by groups of men and students at universities and other seats
of learning, and finally by institutions established for the pur-
pose, until the few scattered facts, at first apparently useless and
largely curiosities, became developed into a system of related
facts and principles, I love to think of the science of electricity
and magnetism. From static electricity, generated by rubbing a
piece of amber (a fact known to the ancient Greeks 600 B. C.),
to the modern telephone, the dynamo and motor, the X-ray, and
finally, the wireless, is a far cry. However, any one who knows
something of the facts, I am sure, will subscribe to the statement
. that the modern electric locomotive, for instance, was presaged
by the apparently trivial and curious electrical phenomena known
to the Greeks, the inventions of the Italians, Galvani and Volta,
and later in the coils of wire and magnets of Faraday. I love
to think of it, that the germ of the electric motor and dynamo
was present in the very simple experiment of the deflection of a
magnetic needle by means of an electric current passed thru a
wire near it. This simple experiment first demonstrated the
relationship between magnetism and electricity, and while ap-
parently useless knowledge then, was a ready-made fact for
Faraday and others, so that today we have all kinds of electrical
apparatus and machinery serving mankind.
Coming back to our own subject of entomology, the classifica-
tions of insects and the studies on structure, particularly of the
mouth-parts and their uses, and the manner in which insects
breathe, were the foundation on which those who were devising
methods for destroying insects could build. While no doubt
successful attempts at destroying injurious insects were made
by those having no particular knowledge of insects, the process
could only be carried on with understanding by those knowing
FALL NUMBER 83
something of the structure and life history of the insects that
they desired to destroy. As an illustration of the futility of
blind effort in an attempt to control an insect, I have in mind
the spraying operations against the citrus whiteflies in Florida.
Power sprayers were bought and an attempt made to spray the
groves in a whole county (Orange County, 1906) regardless of
the time at which the fly was most susceptible to sprays, with
the result that spraying was once more condemned as a failure.
The facts were known to the entomologists that had been in the
State prior to that time, but whether these facts had not been
sufficiently featured in the bulletins or were ignored by the
parties undertaking the spraying, I cannot advise. At all events,
the whitefly of citrus is now successfully controlled by spraying.
To sum up this part of my paper, it is apparent that no facts,
ideas, principles or laws, tho apparently insignificant and useless
at the time of discovery, are useless, but will eventually be ap-
plied in the life of mankind. The world can never know whether
a fact is economically useful and important until it finds out, and
for that the world may need to wait a thousand years.
From motives of a pure desire to know, any one could study
insects (I mean the insects themselves, not books) from the
following points of view; in fact each point of view is a science
by itself: Taxonomy; Morphology; Ecology; Psychology—be-
havior, instincts; Paleontology.
TAXONOMY OF INSECTS
This includes description and classification of insects into
orders, sub-orders, families, genera, species, and sometimes
varieties. (I should perhaps explain that the term Taxonomy
means classification, and is used in the same sense whether ap-
plied to the classification of insects, other animals or plants.)
This phase of entomology has probably been more extensively
studied than the others, and was for a considerable period of
the last century the principal subject of insect study. Classi-
fication may also have been the very first phase of entomology
to engage students of nature. It would only be natural to ar-
range a collection of insects into groups according to their
likenesses and give the groups names. Aristotle was apparently
the first to leave a record of this kind. He made a classification
of animals, and his classification of insects is only a part of the
whole.
84 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
MORPHOLOGY
Morphology is the study of form and structure of animals,
and logically it should precede classification, as classification is
based upon form and structure; but in point of time it largely
followed classification, which was then based mostly upon the
external characteristics only. Studies of form and structure
naturally bring out relationships, and, thanks largely to mor-
phology, we now have classifications of insects, and other ani-
mals, that represent more nearly true relationships.
It will be quite apparent that the form and structure of an
insect, or other animal, or plant, may be studied from three
points of view: Anatomy, Histology, Embryology.
Anatomy.—This consists in the study of the organs, or larger
units of an animal. We may speak of the external anatomy and
the internal anatomy. External atanomy deals with the shape,
structure and relative positions of the external organs: wings,
mouth parts, head, legs, eyes, etc., of an insect; internal anatomy
with the internal organs.
Histology.—Histology is the structure of living things as mani-
fested by the microscope. From this we learn, for instance, that
the organs and parts of insects are made up of microscopic cells,
or units, similar to those of other animals and plants.
Embryology and Life History.—A tracing of the development
of an animal, be it insect, bird or mammal, prior to its birth or
hatching from an egg is called embryology. It may be stated
here that some insects are born alive. The complete life history
of an animal consists of its several developmental stages, includ-
ing its embryology. Specifically, in most insects, it includes the
following stages or states of development: egg, embryo, larva
(grub, caterpillar, maggot, etc.), pupa, and adult. For the
study of embryology a compound microscope and other special
apparatus is necessary, as well as a knowledge of special methods
to preserve the many delicate and microscopic structures found.
ECOLOGY
When a naturalist, whether entomologist or other investigator,
studies insects or other organisms inhabiting certain localities
in an endeavor to solve their mutual relations to each other and
to their environment, we have the science of ecology, meaning,
literally, a study of the household.
FALL NUMBER 85
PSYCHOLOGY: BEHAVIOR, INSTINCTS
This title is quite self explanatory as to its subject matter.
The habits and instincts of insects are varied and have been
extensively studied. This is especially true for ants, bees and
wasps. ;
The definition of psychology is science of mind, and it may be
questioned whether insects have mind, as this term is ordinarily
used. The writer, nevertheless, prefers to retain the term, psy-
chology, as it is difficult to believe that there should not be some
form of mind involved in all the manifold activities of insects.
PALEONTOLOGY
The study of the remains (fossils) of living things found in
the different layers of rock and earth forming the earth’s crust
is called paleontology. The fossil insects found indicate profound
changes in the insect life of this earth during its successive
geological periods. Of unusual interest are the insects found
embedded in the fossilized accumulations of resin known as
amber. Paleontology shows that insects as a whole are, geolog-
ically speaking, a recent group. Their soft, or at best chitinized
bodies do not readily form fossils and so it happens that, as
compared with animals having bony and calcareous parts, their
past is poorly preserved.
ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
These two sciences were not included in the preceding list
because they deal directly with the practical application of ento-
mological knowledge to human affairs. They draw largely for
their information upon the phases of entomological science pre-
viously noted, altho each has its own problems to solve and in-
vestigations to make, and each is just as scientific as the other.
The former, however, are regarded as in the realm of pure
science, in which the practical application of the results is not
necessarily considered, whereas the latter (the subjects of this
topic) are in the realm of applied science, where the practical
application of results obtained is the primary object.
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this genus,
of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive Florida
specimens, especially of the rarer species. Will exchange or pay
cash. Address W. Knaus, McPherson, Kansas.
86 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
June 24. Visitors present were Professor Carl J. Drake,
Associate Professor of Entomology, The N. Y. State College of
Forestry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y., and Mr. Geo. F.
Arnold, Nursery Inspector, State Plant Board of Mississippi.
Under “Timely Notes’ Prof. Watson reported that stink
bugs and pumpkin bugs were attacking fruit unusually early
this year. In answer to a question by Dr. J. H. Montgomery,
Prof. Watson advised that the Whitefly Ladybeetle (Delphastus
catalinae) received by him from the State Insectary of California,
and introduced into several places in Florida, was reported as
having become established at Bradentown, but that he had not
been able to go and verify the report.
In the first paper of the evening, “Insects and the Optimistic
Grower’, Mr. F. M. O’Byrne, Inspector of Nursery Stock, noted
some personal experiences and made some suggestions valuable
to those whose lot it becomes to recommend treatment for insects
or diseases. Some growers will follow the advice of the last
visitor rather than of the man supposed to know. Others, the
optimistic kind, discount all recommendations made. In such
instances, reference to concrete results obtained by others who
had the same insects or diseases in their trees are most convinc-
ing. In general, advice given should anticipate mistakes growers
may make and be followed by a second visit if possible. Recom-
mendations should preferably be in written form in which neces-
sary details should be stressed.
The second paper of the evening, “Storage and Fumigation of
Corn and Other Seeds for Weevils”’, was by Mr. R. L. Clute.
Mr. Clute first briefly referred to the kinds of insects generally
found infesting stored plant products in Florida, and then
showed plans for the proper storage of corn, etc., in which fumi-
gation for insects can be properly done. The importance of
storing corn without the husks was particularly emphasized, as
it requires less room for storage and less carbon bisulphide for
fumigation. Several photographs of good storage houses in use
in Florida were also exhibited. Mr. Clute is embodying the sub-
ject matter of this paper in a practical bulletin for farmers and
others.
In a third paper of the evening, “The Purse Spider and Two
Rare Tingids”’, Professor Drake gave some very interesting in-
formation. The Purse Spider, supposed to be of rare occurrence,
was found by Prof. Drake to be quite common at Gainesville,
FALL NUMBER 87
Fla. He had previously taken a specimen from a frog’s stomach
at Cedar Point, Ohio. A colony of these spiders has been re-
ported at Washington, D. C., and Professor J. H. Comstock
collected it at Lake City, Fla., some years ago. The first tingid
in question is Teleonemia belfragei, now very common on Calli-
carpa americana (French mulberry) on the University campus
and vicinity at Gainesville. Previously reported only from the
West Indies, Callicarpa is furthermore a new host for this tingid.
The other tingid is Dichocysta pictipes, of which Prof. Drake
collected two specimens in the hammock on the University cam-
pus. This species had previously not been collected east of Ari-
zona in the United States, but is found in Mexico.
July 22. Visitors present were Miss Isabelle Mays, Instructor
in Mathematics, University Summer School, and Mr. E. L. Rob-
inson, Asst. Principal, Public Schools, Tampa.
Professor Carl J. Drake, School of Forestry, Syracuse Uni-
versity, N. Y. State, and Mr. E. L. Robinson were elected to the
membership of the Society.
Under ‘‘Timely Notes’ Professor Drake reported a new species
of Fulgorid (Lantern-fly Family) on gallberry and huckleberry
about Gainesville, Fla. Professor Watson reported on the
successful use of Kansas bait on the Fall Army Worm (Laphygma
frugiperda) on a property south of the University grounds, and
that army worms were general over the State from Miami to
Bonifay and Chipley. Mr. Geo. B. Merrill reported briefly
an outbreak of the Fall Army Worm just north of Gainesville,
advising that the same was controlled in part by dusting zinc
arsenite and calcium arsenate and in part by plowing furrows
to keep the worms back.
In the first paper of the evening, Plant Commissioner Wilmon
Newell described an outbreak of the Banana Root Borer (Cos-
mopolites sordidus) in South Dade County. Thirty-four proper-
ties were inspected from January 6 to 19, of which seven were
found infested. This beetle had been declared a public nuisance
by the Plant Board only in the December (1917) preceding.
Eradication work was at once begun by digging and burning the
plants. Split banana stems were used as baits in the fields and
large numbers of the beetles caught and destroyed. This beetle
is a pest in Cuba, Jamaica, British Guiana, islands of the South
(Continued on page 91)
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROBS ict 1; WIT SON 22 ses aetna ee ae ee eee Editor
Dr. KX. W. BERGER......Associate Editor, Acting Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members is $1.00 per
year in advance; 25c per copy.
Fumigation of citrus trees may be revived in Florida. The
Roessler and Hasslacher Chemical Company is conducting ex-
tensive demonstrations at Windermere and elsewhere in Florida.
Improved methods of generating and discharging the gas under
the tents by means of a machine greatly simplify and shorten
the operations. Particulars may be obtained by addressing Mr.
J. B. Dales, Pine Tree Inn, Windermere, Fla.
THE CALIFORNIA DELPHASTUS
The whitefly-eating lady-beetle (Delphastus catalinae) con-
tinues to multiply in several Florida groves at a most gratifying
rate. In the grove near Bradentown they are present in count-
less thousands and arrangements have been perfected for sbip-
ping these beetles from there to different parts of the state. It is
desired to introduce them into all citrus communities. it is
thought that enough are now in sight to supply a colony to any
grower who desires one. Anyone interested should apply to is
county agent or to the Department of Entomology of the Experi-
ment Station. A small charge, sufficient only to defray the cost
of collecting and packing, is made for these.—J. R. W.
AN OUTBREAK OF THE COTTON STAINER ON CITRUS
Citrus and avocado growers in some of the southern counties
of the state where, in order to escape the boll weevil, cotton has
been raised this season, are having trouble with the Cotton
Stainer (Dysdercus saturellus (H. S.)). This bug is a pyrrho-
corid with deep red body and black wings and is sometimes
called the “red bug.” This is a common name for the cotton
stainer in the West Indies and would be appropriate and desir-
able for Florida were it not preoccupied by those pestiferous
mites, the larvae of Trobidium, with which we are all too well
acquainted.
On citrus the cotton stainer does about the same type of dam-
(88)
FALL NUMBER 89
age as the pumpkin bug (Nezara viridula), i. e., it punctures the
rind and the fruit soon drops from the tree and decays. The
punctures, however, are smaller and entirely invisible to the
naked eye. There is not the hardening and discoloration of the
surrounding tissue characteristic of pumpkin bug injury. The
bugs feed mostly on the oil cells but frequently penetrate to the
pulp. They are much more restless than the pumpkin bugs and
do not remain feeding in one spot for hours as the latter fre-
quently do. They show the same preference for thin-skinned
varieties of citrus, tangerines being their first choice. They are
not as apt to feed all night as are the pumpkin bugs, but usually
collect in colonies on the interior of the tree. Even in the day
time they are distinctly gregarious, collecting in colonies on
the leaves and fruit both on the tree and the ground.
The present outbreak has undoubtedly been brought on by
the planting of cotton in citrus communities. No outbreak has
been recorded in communities where no cotton was planted.. The
adults can fly considerable distances. The writer recently saw
one heavily infested grove that was three-fourths of a mile from
the nearest cotton. There were adults only in this grove. An-
other grove directly across a road from a cotton patch was
heavily infested with both adults and young. Scattering half
grown nymphs were seen as far as 800 feet from the cotton.
The vast majority of these had crawled from the cotton field.
Indeed, scores were observed in the act of crawling across.
They travelled in a nearly straight line for the citrus as if they
smelled it, altho the wind was from another direction. How-
ever, one colony of very young nymphs was observed that must
have hatched from eggs laid on fallen oranges. The nymphs
were but a few days old and were bunched in a compact colony
after the fashion of newly hatched nymphs of these bugs. It
is incredible that the colony could have crawled en mass such a
distance without becoming scattered. A search was made for
Spanish cockle-burr on which they might have bred but none
was found. Evidently, they can occasionally breed on citrus,
altho Hubbard states that they do not do so.
Evidently the growing of cotton in citrus communities in the
southern counties should be abandoned. Altho the bugs are
rather sporadic in their appearance, being abundant some years
and searce others, the practice involves too great a risk. Hub-
bard, in “Orange Insects”, warns against the practice. Another
statement that he makes, however, is erroneous, or at least only
90 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
partly true. He states that chickens will not eat the bugs. The
writer saw chickens gorging themselves on the bugs, both
nymphs and adults. The chickens had saved a portion of a cot-
ton field nearest a house from destruction. It is easy to make a
mistake like this in regard to the food of chickens. Fowls are
often rank “standpatters’”, refusing absolutely to even taste a
food to which they are unaccustomed. Probably it would fre-
quently happen that a handful of cotton stainers thrown to
fowls that had never eaten this species of bug would at first be
refused. The writer has had a similar experience with pumpkin
bugs which are usually eaten by hens. Indeed he once owned a
flock of hens which persistently refused to touch perfectly good
Kaffir corn.
The cotton stainer is a southern species and usually does severe
damage only in the southern part of the state. Indeed Barber,
in his list of the ““Hemiptera of Florida”, does not record it from
north of Lake City and St. Augustine. The absence of any
reports from the northern counties, however, is probably due to
the absence of entomologists rather than the absence of the
bugs, as it is recorded as a pest of cotton in South Carolina,
Georgia, and Alabama. It has been recorded from many places
in Florida not in Barber’s list (see Sellards in Rep. of Fla. Ag.
Exp. Station, 1905). Apparently in the compilation of this list,
as in some others of the series of lists published by the American
Museum of Natural History, the literature of economic ento-
mology has been largely ignored.
Two other species are listed by Barber as having been taken
in the extreme southern part of the state. One of them, and
at least two other species of the genus, are severe pests of cot-
ton in the West Indies. One of these, D. delanneyi Seth., has
“been rendered negligible” in St. Vincent by the destruction of
its wild hosts, the silk cotton tree, the wild okra (Malachra
capitata), and the John Bull tree. Perhaps the same happy result
could be achieved in Florida by the destruction of the Spanish
cockle-burr (Urena lobata) on which it largely breeds in the
absence of cotton.
The name “cotton stainer” is derived from the effect of these
bugs on cotton lint. They feed.on the seed and collect on the
bolls in the fields, staining the lint a pinkish or reddish color,
greatly lowering its value. This staining is said (West Indian
Bulletin XVI No. 3, p. 236) to be due not directly to the bugs but
to fungi and bacteria which follow.—J. R. W.
FALL NUMBER 91
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
(Continued from page 87)
Pacific and India. The infestation was traced to a nursery on
the West Coast.
“Pumpkin Bugs’, the second paper of the evening, was read
by Professor Drake, who was then investigating the habits and
life history, but especially the insect enemies of these bugs.
Professor Drake suggests the common name of Southern Green
Stink Bug for Nezara viridula to distinguish it from Nezara hil-
aris which is the commoner species farther north but also found
here. N. viridula is in northern Africa, Asia, and other parts of
the world. N. marginata and N. pennsylvanica are also in Flor-
ida but rare. Radish is the favorite food of these bugs in spring
and is suggested as a trap crop to protect other plants and veg-
etables. Cowpeas are also much attacked. The egg masses of
N. viridula average 80-90 eggs and hatch in 4-5 days. There are
5 instars, or stages, i. e., there are 5 sizes of the bugs, counting
the newly hatched and including the full grown bugs. The life
cycle is 4-6 weeks in summer. WN. viridula has its share of natural
enemies, including the Wheelbug, Tachina Flies, Sarcophagidae,
and egg parasites. The Tachina Flies and Sarcophagidae are
flies resembling houseflies, but are more hairy, and it is the mag-
gots of these flies that infest the bugs.
Both of these papers were discussed by those present.
August. No meeting was held because so many of the resident
members were absent from Gainesville on account of professional
duties.
September 30. Twenty-seven visitors were present from
among those who were attending the Citrus Seminar and the
Live Stock Roundup at the University.
The first paper of the evening was by Mr. W. L. McAtee of
the U.S. Biological Survey. Mr. McAtee gave a very instructive
account of the different lines of work conducted by the Survey.
These include investigations of the useful and injurious mam-
mals and birds of the United States, habits and distribution of
North American animals, enforcement of federal laws pertain-
ing to importations, quarantines, etc., and a game law section.
The Society’s interest, however, was centered mainly upon the
methods of identifying insect remains in bird’s stomachs. This
is a very difficult task, but not impossible, since there are certain
92 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
hard parts of insects, such as jaws, that admit of fairly accurate
identification. Brief accounts of the insect diet of such birds
as the bullbat, swallow, quail, oreole, flicker, etc., were given.
Thus, the quail, swallow and oreole are undoubted enemies of
the Boll Weevil. 5000 ants were found in the stomach of a
single flicker. The Boll Weevil is eaten by 66 kinds of birds,
the Gypsy Moth by 45 kinds, and leaf-hoppers by 200 kinds.
The second paper of the evening was a round table discussion
of common names of insects, led by Professor J. R. Watson.
While common names are of practically no value to the ento-
mologist whose requirements are wholly met by the scientific
names, it is recognized that common names are needed when
discussing insects with growers and others who are generally
not familiar with the use of scientific names. The trouble with
common names, however, is that there may be several of them
in use at the same time or in different localities for the same
insect, and it is apparent that in written articles at least, some
one name should be selected and used and not a different one
in each article. Thus Nezara viridula, commonly known as the
Pumpkin Bug, is also called the Southern Green Plant Bug, while
the name Southern Stink Bug has been suggested. Again, Selen-
aspidus articulatus is known as the West Indian Red Scale, or
Rufous Scale. It being apparent that, in order to secure uni-
formity in common names and to avoid the duplication of such,
some one should be recognized as authority to indicate the pre-
ferred common names. To further this end, it was voted, on
motion of Mr. Wm. Somme, that the President appoint a com-
mittee of three on common names of insects. Appointed were
J. R. Watson, E. W. Berger and Dr. J. H. Montgomery. It will
be the duty of this committee to report to the Society from time
to time lists of the preferred common names of insects for pub-
lication in THE BuGGIST. Discussion was continued at the next
meeting.
Approximately 300,000 species of insects have been described
and named and there are probably five times as many more.
WANTED—Diurnal Lepidoptera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Over 3000 butterflies on hand for
exchanges. Dr. John A. Comstock, Southwest Museum, Los
Angeles, Calif. .
FALL NUMBER 93
KATYDID
Thou art a female, Katydid!
I know it by the trill
That quivers through thy piercing notes
So petulant and shrill.
I think there is a knot of you
Beneath the hollow tree,
A knot of spinster Katydids—
Do Katydids drink tea?
(O. W. Holmes—To an Insect.)
It is stated that over 150,000 species of beetles have been de-
scribed in the world.
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Organized to further the discovery and dissemination of knowledge
about insects, especially Florida insects. The Society appeals to all those
interested to join and assist. It is the only organization of its kind in
Florida and the South. Your membership will strengthen the Society and
THE FLORIDA BUuUGGIST, its official publication. Annual dues are $1.00, which
includes THE BuacisT. The headquarters of the Society is Gainesville,
Fla. The regular monthly meetings are held on the 4th Monday of each
month in Science Hall, University of Florida, from 4:30 to 6 p. m.
Officers: President, Dr. H. S. Davis; vice president, Mr. F. M. O’Byrne;
secretary-treasurer, Dr. E. W. Berger; member executive committee, Dr.
J. H. Montgomery.
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When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Bug gist
94 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
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Ohe
Florida Buggist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VO: I WINTER NUMBER NOZ3
DECEMBER, 1918
(Printed in February, 1919)
NEW THYSANOPTERA FROM FLORIDA—IV.
J. R. WATSON
58. Trichothrips brevitubus n. sp.
Measurements: Head, length 0.187 mm., width 0.2 mm.; prothorax,
length 0.115 mm., width 0.3 mm.; abdomen, width 0.4 mm.; tube, length 0.1
mm., width at base 0.064 mm., at the apex 0.032 mm.; total body length 1.17
mm. Antennae: segment 1, 24; 2, 52; 3, 64; 4, 63; 5, 52; 6, 48; 7, 46; 8, 26
microns; total length 0. 39 mm.
Color, including legs and tube, brown, head and abdomen very dark brown.
Antennae entirely bright yellow except segment 8, which is ight brown.
Head nearly square in general outline, a little wider than long, sides
convex, an acute projection between the bases of the antennae. The only
prominent spine is the post-ocular which is about 26 microns long. Like
all the other spines on the body it is dark brown and ends in a small colorless
knob. Eyes rather small, about nine facets showing in lateral profile which
occupies about two thirds of the margin of the head, not protruding, black.
Ocelli inconspicuous, posterior pair situated far forward opposite the
anterior .2 of the eyes whose margins they touch, widely separated. The
anterior one points forward, color very dark. Mouth cone long and tapering,
reaching a trifle beyond the posterior margin of the prothorax. Antennae
twice as long as the head, 8-segmented, spines and sense cones rather short,
especially on the basal segments, all colorless and inconspicuous.
Prothorax broad and short, approaching a semi-circular outline, sides
convex and sharply diverging posteriorly, a long (81 microns) heavy spine
near each posterior angle, each angle provided with a single shorter spine.
Pterthorax with sides convex and slightly converging posteriorly, without
prominent spines. Legs moderately long and slender, without prominent
spines. Wings rather short, membrane not reaching the end of the abdomen,
fringed with long hairs that reach little beyond the end of the tube.
Abdomen wide and short, about a third longer than broad, bearing a few
dark spines which become long and heavy posteriorly. Tube but little
more than half as long as the head. The longest of the terminal bristles
about equal to the length of the tube.
Described from a single female brot to the author by the janitor of the
Please mention Buggist when you write our advertisers.
98 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
experiment station building with the statement that he extracted it from 7
his eye where it was very painful, causing a much more severe smarting
than a egnat.
Gainesville, Fla., August, 1918.
Type in the author’s collection.
The following key will enable one to separate the North American species
(except J. semicaeus the description of which, in Uzel, is too brief) which
are now (see Hood in Entomologist, Vol. XLVIII, No. 624, May, 1915, p. 106)
placed in the genus Trichothrips. Moulton’s key (U.S. D. A. Bur. Ent. Tech.
Ser. 21) has been followed for the species there given.
KEY TO THE SPECIES OF TRICHOTHRIPS OF NORTH AMERICA
I. Prominent spines on body with blunt or dilated tips; most forms very
dark brown or nearly black (except T. angusticeps), usually nes short
wings (except T. longitubus).
a. Each fore tarsus armed with a tooth; antennae about 1.7 times
as long as head; total body length about 1.5 mm.
T. angusticeps Hood.
aa. Fore tarsi not armed; antennae about twice as long as head.
b. Wings fully developed; body length about 1.8 mm.; tibiae,
tarsi, and intermediate segments of the antennae bright
lemon yellow; tube fully as long as the head.
T. longitubus Hood.
bb. Wings short; body length about 1.2; whole antenna clear
yellow; tube about half as long as the head.
T. brevitubus n. sp.
II. Prominent spines on body acute; antennae about twice as long as head.
a. Individuals small, about 1 mm. in length, without ocelli or wings.
b. Eyes reduced, lateral profile showing but three facets; first
segment about half as long as the second....T. smithii Hood.
bb. Eyes small but normal; first antennal segment nearly as
lONS FAS SCCOMC eee eee eee eee: T. flavicauda Morgan.
aa. Individuals rather large, 1.5 mm. or more, wings fully developed
or brachypterous.
b. Each fore tarsus armed with a tooth.
ec. Antennae 1.75 times as long as head; tube .7 as long
as head; total length about 2 mm., fore tarsi with a
shorisestouts toothy T. ambitus Hinds.
ec. Antenna slightly more than twice as long as the head;
tube slightly shorter than head.
d. Total body length about 1.7 mm.; fore tarsi with
a small acute tooth; wings light gray brown,
spotted with darker. ............ T. americanus Hood.
dd. Tarsi with a large tooth.
e. Last two antennal segments completely
united; eyes very small; body length about
PSM hee eee T. anomocerus Hood.
WINTER NUMBER 99
ee. Last two antennal segments not compactly
united; eyes normal; body length 1.8 mm.
or more.
f. Tarsal tooth straight.
T. marginalis Hood & Williams.
ff. Tarsal tooth curved.
T. terminalis Hood & Williams.
lojoy. > ARS RSNV EOFS ete aVe0 beeen SE ee T. zonatus Hood.
MEGALOMEROTHRIPS, gen. nov.
Head considerably longer than wide; cheeks with a few stout bristles but
without warts; antennae about twice as long as the head, 8-segmented, inter-
mediate segments elongated. Mouth cone about as long as width at the base
which is swollen to a diameter considerably greater than the width of the
head; labium rounded but labrum sharp-pointed, reaching nearly to the
mesosternum; fore femora enlarged, without teeth; tarsi without teeth.
Wings short and weak, not narrowed in the middle. Tube long and slender.
Type M. eupatorii n. sp.
54. Megalomerothrips eupatoru, n. sp.
Measurements: Total length 2.1 mm.; Head, length 0.31 mm.; width
0.23 mm.; Prothorax, length 0.24 mm, width (including coaxe) 0.43 mm.;
mesothorax, breadth 0.40 mm.; abdomen, breadth 0.46 mm.; tube, length
0.34 mm., width in the middle 0.08 mm. Antennae: segment 1, 59; 2, 68;
3, 148; 4, 118; 5, 88; 6, 71; 7, 58; 8, 48 microns; total 0.62 mm.
Color an almost uniform light brown; posterior segments of abdomen
darker and segments 2 and 3 of antennae very light yellow, 3 almost color-
less as are the last tarsal joints.
Head subquadrangular in outline, about 1%% longer than wide; frons but
slightly convex; cheeks nearly parallel, but slightly convex, provided with
a few short thick spines; post-ocular bristles rather long, exceeding the
eyes; dorsal surface of head with faint cross-striations. Eyes rather small,
not protruding, black. Ocelli prominent, all facing upward; posterior pair
opposite the middle of the eyes but not touching their margins. Mouth cone
about as wide as the width at the swollen base, labrum tapering to a point,
exceeding the labium and nearly reaching the mesosternum. Antennae 8-
segmented; segment 3 long and almost colorless; sense cones and bristles
colorless and inconspicuous.
Prothorax shorter than the head; wide; sides sharply diverging posteriorly
and very convex; posterior angles very rounding, provided with moderately
long but colorless spines with blunt tips.
Pterothorax; sides nearly straight, converging posteriorly; a pair of
stout short spines about the middle of the mesothorax. Legs moderately
long, concolorous with the body except for the colorless last joints of the
tarsi. Fore femora greatly enlarged, % as wide as the head. Wings very
short and weak, not nearly reching the base of the tube; fringed with rather
short hairs, about 20 interlocated ones.
Abdomen elliptical in outline, no bristles on anterior segments but heavy
ones on the posterior ones, the longest exceeding the tube. Tube longer
than the head, narrow with almost parallel sides, tipped with a few spines
which are only slightly more than half the length of the tube.
é unknown.
100 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Described from a single female taken by beating Hupatorium ageratoides
in bloom. Nov. Gainesville, Fla. Type in the author’s collection.
The following key will enable one to separate the new genus
from the others of section 2 of the Phloethripidae (Moulton Bul.
21 Tech. Se. Bur. Ent., U. S. D. A.), comprising those genera in
which the head is considerable longer than wide and longer than
the prothorax. This is not a very good character on which to
divide the family, as it divides at least one genus (Haplothrips),
but it is a convenient one, and much used.
KEY TO THE GENERA OF PHLOEOTHRIPIDAE
II. Head considerably longer than wide and longer than the prothorax.
a. Head less than twice as long as wide.
b. Fore femora with a tooth on the inner side near the end.
In our species the fore femora are enlarged but the inter-
mediate antennal segments are not elongated.
Acanthothrips, Uzel. (Hoplothrips).
bb. Fore femora unarmed, in the female, at least.
c. Wings wanting, reduced to pads, or very short and
weak.
d. Mouth cone shorter than its width at the base,
labrum with a blunt tip. ....Cephalothrips Uzel.
dd. Mouth cone as long as width, labrum sharply
pointed.
e. Cheeks with spine-bearing warts.
Malacothrips.
ee. Cheeks without spine-bearing warts.
f. Intermediate antennal segments not
elongated. Fore femora not greatly
enlarged.
g. Cheeks parallel, fore tarsi
armed with spines.
Neothrips Hood.
ge. Cheeks arched, fore tarsi un-
armed. Gnophothrips
Hood & Williams.
ff. Intermediate antennal segments
elongate, fore femora greatly en-
larged. Megalomerothrips, gen. nov.
ec. Wings fully developed.
d. Wing's constricted in the middle.
e. Mouth cone broadly rounded at the end.
f. Cephalic bristles normal.
WINTER NUMBER 101
eg. Wings only slightly narrowed
in the middle; head length
more than 1.5 times. the
breadth; fore tarsi unarmed.
Cryptothrips Uczel.
ge. Wings distinctly narrowed in
the middle; head length less
than 1.5 times the breadth;
fore tarsi with a tooth.
Haplothrips (in part).
ff. One pair of cephalic bristles (not
including the post-ocular) much
elongated.
g. Post-ocellar bristles elongated;
anterior margin of prothorax
semicircular, emarginate and
greatly thickened.
Dichaetothrips Hood 714.
gg. Pair of bristles laterad of me-
dian ocellus elongated; ante-
rior margin of prothorax nor-
Mal erees See ee Diceratothrips.
ee. Mouth cone acute at the tip; wings con-
siderably narrowed in the middle, like a
sole.
f. Head nearly twice as long as wide;
mouth cone reaching nearly across
prosternum. ........ Leptothrips Hood.
ff. Head only a little longer than broad.
g. Mouth cone reaching only to
middle of prosternum.
Zygothrips Uzel.
gg. Mouth cone reaching across
prosternum. ........ Phyllothrips.
dd. Wings of equal width thruout.
e. Cheeks with a few very small warts, each
of which bears a small spine.
f. Cheeks nearly straight.
Gynaikothrips.
ff. Cheeks arched.
g. Post-ocular bristles long and
consepicuous; fore femors of
3 with two teeth near apex.
Hoplandrothrips.
gg. Post-ocular spines lacking.
Phloeothrips Haliday.
ee. Cheeks without such warts.
102 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
f. Fore femora not enlarged.
g. Mouth cone acute.
h. Tube short; eyes pro-
longed on ventral side
of head; a pair of long
bristles on vertex at in-
ner angles of eyes; in-
termediate antennal
segments obliquely trun-
cate at both base and
apex.
Omnatothrips Hood 715.
hh. Tube, eyes and cephalic
bristles not as above;
antennal segments nor-
ORM Sate Liothrips Uzel.
gg. Mouth cone blunt; individuals
very large.
Polyphemothrips
Hood and Williams.
ff. Fore femora greatly enlarged.
Horistothrips Morgan ’13..
55. Frankliella tritici (Fitch). THE GRAIN THRIPS.
A single specimen of the typical species as distinct from the common
varieties was swept from Eupatorium ageratoides in November 1918. The
antennal segments 2 are typically symmetrical and the measurements agree
closely with those given for the species. The spcimen is, however, almost
colorless except for the eyes, and the bristles in front of the ocelli are very
small. This is the first specimen of the typical species the writer has seen
from Florida.
MODERN BEEKEEPING*
By FRANK STIRLING
One of the most fascinating pursuits and one that has shown
a remarkable degree of expansion during the past few years is
beekeeping. As in the case of other lines of endeavor, the
tendency is more towards specialization. Authorities, such as
Henry Alley, G. M. Doolittle and Frank C. Pellett, have found
that, in order to develop beekeeping up to its present state of
perfection, careful selection of the Queen Bee was necessary. The
queen bee is the foundation of the community, or colony, because
she is eventually the mother of all the bees in the hive. It is
therefore necessary that she be vigorous, a rigorous egg layer,
and like race horses, well bred.
There are. many species of bees. During spring and summer
*Read before the Florida Entomological Society on Dec. 30, 1918.
WINTER NUMBER 103
one can see many different kinds among blossoms and flowers,
but most of these are of very little economic importance; their
only value lies in carrying pollen from flower to flower, and for
this reason they are sometimes called the ‘‘Marriage Priests” of
the flowers. Higher up in the scale one finds the bumble bees,
which not only are useful in pollenizing, but store up very small
quantities of honey.
While the number of species of these less important bees is
considerable, only those commonly known as honey bees (of
the genus Apis) are the ones of real importance as honey pro-
ducers.
Of this genus, the great bee of southern Asia (Apis dorsata)
has been the subject of considerable interest. This giant bee
builds a very large single comb out in the open, generally sus-
pended from the branch of a forest tree. On account of its
fierceness, efforts to domesticate it have not met with success.
In Mr. Frank C. Pellett’s book, ‘‘Practical Queen Rearing’’,
mention is made of a number of other species of bees, of which
the most important is the Apis florea, a very gentle little bee,
much smaller than the common honey bee, and which builds a
delicate little comb around a twig.
But of all species, the common honey bee (Aphis mellifica) is
the only one that has been found of real value as a honey pro-
ducer. Of this species a number of varieties occur, namely, the
Italians, Blacks, Carniolans, etc.
While the Italians are generally accepted as the most valuable
bees and are by far the most popular in the United States, some
very good results have been obtained by the black bee here in
Florida. The Italian has been tried out under all kinds of con-
ditions and has proved the most satisfactory, as it is more gentle
than the blacks and is more resistant to certain diseases.
Honey bees are not native to America. The wild bees often
seen in Florida are the descendants of those imported. According
to the American Bee Journal, the first honey bees were imported
into Florida by the Spaniards previous to 1763, for they were
first noticed in West Florida during that year, and it is quite
probable they were brought to this State first, as they were not
noticed in any other state until 1780, at which time they were
observed in Kentucky; in New York in 1793; and west of the
Mississippi river in 1797. The bees introduced by the Spaniards
were evidently what is commonly known as the black, or German
(Continued on page 106)
OGhe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROBS A dice Bed cs WIATSOIN cessete ea oN ree eee e eee Editor
Dr. E. W. BERGER......Associate Editor, Acting Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members is $1.00 per
year in advance; 25c per copy.
Those who would like to see the citrus tree fumigation demon-
stration being conducted in Florida by the Roessler & Hass-
lacher Chemical Company should address Mr. Walter S. Lenk,
San Juan Hotel, Orlando, Fla.
Reports from the Better Fruit Campaign, being conducted
jointly by the University Extension Division, the State Plant
Board and the U. S. D. A., indicate much interest and good
attendance on the part of the growers.
PERSONALS
My. E. E. Wehr, a specialist on insect pests of live stock in the
Bureau of Entomology, U. S. D. A., who has been in the State
for several weeks on extension work, has left for Maryland.
Mr. A. C. Mason, formerly assistant in the Experiment Station
and later in the Plant Board, has just been released from the
army and has accepted a position with the Bureau of Ento-
mology. He is to be located at Miami where he will take up the
study of the insects of subtropical fruits other than citrus.
OBITUARY OF MEMBERS '
Mr. John A. Clinger died at Leesburg, Fla., Oct. 22, 1918.
Mr. B. O. Gaston died at Kissimmee, Jan. 17, 1919.
It is with the profoundest regret that we chronicle the death
of these two gentlemen. Each filled his place on the force of the
Plant Board and in the Society in a manner which showed an
active interest in the agricultural welfare of the State. Both
were men of high purpose and sterling character.
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
October 28. Professor P. W. Fattig of the Teachers College
and Mr. C. M. Berry of Sanford were unanimously elected to
membership in the Society.
WINTER NUMBER 105
Under ‘“‘Timely Notes” the presence of the Saddle-back Cater-
pillar on trumpet vine at the Experiment Station was reported
by Professor J. R. Watson.
The principal paper of the evening, “Birds and Animals In-
jurious to Farm Products’, was read by Mr. T. Van Hyning.
Mr. Van Hyning reviewed the records of a number of birds, and
it is his belief that but few are wholly injurious, most of them
really being useful in reducing insects. Of mammals, the pocket
gopher is the worst and a real parasite. Poisoned water is a
remedy for rats in buildings.
The second paper of the evening, by E. W. Berger, was a con-
tinuation of the discussion on “Common Names of Insects” con-
ducted at the previous meeting. The following principles were
indicated as guides that may be followed by entomologists and
others in the selection of common names:
1. Select a name already in use by the growers or others.
2. If there is no common name already in use, the scientific
name may be translated wholly or in part. Thus we have Oak
Ericoccus for Hricoccus quercus (oak), Flocculent Whitefly for
Aleurothrixus floccosa, Bay Whitefly for Paralemodes perseae
(bay), ete.
3. Some well defined and readily apparent characteristics
may be used; as Woolly Whitefly, Cloudy-winged Whitefly, Long
Scale, Chaff Scale, etc.
4. Sometimes the name of the person who described and
gave it the scientific name is used as the common name; thus
we have Putnam’s Scale for Aspidiotus ancylus (Putnam). Or
the name of the town or locality from which an insect is known
may be used as the common name; thus we have Jan Jose Scale
for Aspidiotus perniciosus, Florida Red Scale and California
Red Scale for Chrysomphalus aonidum and C. aurantii respect-
ively.
Scientific names of living things are recognized the world
over. In other words, whenever an insect is described and given
a scientific name, that is its name from Washington to Tokio,
either way around the world. The fact that scientific names are
written in Latin, either in Latin words or other words having
the Latin endings, probably accounts for their ready acceptance.
By using Latin as the language for scientific names, the compe-
tition between the many other languages is avoided. lLinnaens,
the noted botanist, first began the use of two latinized names for
plants and animals nearly 200 years ago.
106 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
But common names are convenient for local usage, because they
are in plain English, easier to spell and pronounce, and absolutely
necessary to the economic entomologist who needs to discuss
insect problems with many people.
MODERN BEEKEEPING
(Continued from page 103)
bee, and it has been generally supposed that our first bees came
from Germany, but Pellett, who is accepted as authority, states
that they very probably came from Spain. The native black bees
of Great Britain, France, Germany and Spain are said to differ
but little.
While the production of honey has for centuries been con-
sidered a profitable undertaking, it was not brought to its present
state of perfection until such men as A. I. Root, L. L. Langstroth,
and a few others, by means of the invention of modern methods,
gave it the prominence it now attains. The 8 and 10 frame regu-
lation hive which was invented by Langstroth has been almost
universally adopted by progressive beekeepers, thereby making it
easier to handle the bees.
Many states have beekeepers’ associations, and at their annua!
meetings the most up to date methods for handling bees are
discussed, and such men as E. F. Phillips, Kenneth Hawkins and
others from the Department of Agriculture, as well as authorities
like C. P. Dadant frequently attend. At the Iowa Experiment
Station short courses in beekeeping are annually given, and at
the Universities of Missouri and Texas departments of ento-
mology have been offering courses in beekeeping for the regular
University students; women as well as men select these courses,
and upon completing their University course have pushed bee-
keeping in their respective communities.
Had it not been for this industry, the whole world would have
suffered much more from the lack of sweets than it did during
the past months, when war conditions made the amount of sugar
available inadequate for the needs of mankind.
Increase in the cost of honey, due to the big export demand
created by the war, makes it safe to predict that the coming year
will see the greatest effort ever made in furthering beekeeping.
During the last half of this year, honey to the value of perhaps
$2,000,000 was exported—about 10 times the valuation for any
year previous to the beginning of the war—indicating that honey
has ceased to be a luxury in the minds of the Allied Peoples.
WINTER NUMBER 107
Also, the home demand for honey has increased. Figures are
not available, however, as much of the honey of this country never
reaches the larger centers of trade.
The amount of sweet produced by bees is reaily enormous.
Honey is produced in this country, in ordinary years, in excess
of two hundred and fifty million pounds. Those plants and
flowers from which bees gather nectar are legion, and are
scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land. The
white-clover belt is the most important honey-producing region,
because it furnishes not only the leading commercial honey but
also more than one-half of the honey crop of the entire country.
This belt extends from Maine to Virginia and westward to the
great plains. From white clover alone is secured about one
tenth of the Nation’s crop of honey. This kind is almost color-
less and has a delicate and delicious flavor.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture,
alfalfa honey comes second in importance commercially, while
sweet clover is third in line of importance. About 4 per cent of
the Nation’s honey comes from flowers of the cotton plant, 314
per cent from the bass-wood, 3 per cent from the tulip poplar
tree and buckwheat, and 2 per cent from the goldenrod.
California leads all other states in the production of honey.
In fact, she produces about 20 per cent of the entire Nation’s
crop. This is because of the. presence of great quantities of
mountain sages, together with the fact that the beekeepers of
that state have gone into the business in a business-like manner,
using modern equipment.
Florida has, until recent years, been backward in her bee-
keeping industry. There have been, however, some few pioneer
beekeepers in this State who have made more than a success of it.
The late Mr. O. O. Poppleton was considered one of the foremost
veteran beekeepers in the State, and on the East Coast, where he
operated, he harvested immense crops of honey from the orange,
palmetto and mangrove. Mr. W. S. Hart of Hawks Park, also
a Florida beekeeper of prominence, has for years operated an
apiary with profitable results in the hammocks along the East
Coast. Dr. Edwin G. Baldwin, Professor of Latin at the Stetson
University, has for many years made a business of beekeeping,
and while it is more a hobby with him, yet it has turned out to
be a very profitable one. In fact, he has made himself very promi-
nent as a queen breeder, and his queens, in large numbers, have
been sent throughout the North. Mr. H. L. Christopher is now
108 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
operating two large apiaries in the groves of the Atwood Grape-
fruit Ranch at Manatee, where the bees were intended primarily
for the fertilization of the orange and grapefruit bloom. Mr. A.
I. Root, the celebrated founder of the largest bee supply estab-
lishment in the world, and one of the foremost authorities on
beekeeping, has for years operated apiaries in different sections
of the State. Mr. Root spends his winters in Manatee County,
and aithough he is 79 years old, he can still be seén plugging away
at his winter home near Bradentown.
Even on the western side of Lake Okeechobee, Mr. C. C. Cook
produces some of the most wonderful crops of honey ever heard
of (mostly from gallberry).
While the main harvests of honey were formerly produced in
the western portion of Florida, in the bottom lands of the Apa-
lachicola and Choclahatchee Rivers, and in the southern portion
of Walton County, the opportunities for this industry have in
recent years been found present in practically all sections of the
State.
The mild winters in Florida tend to make beekeeping more
profitable than in the northern and western states. The low cost
of operation is largely due to the fact that the bees have a
chance to gather a little honey during almost every month. Then
there is the large number of honey-producing plants; most de-
sirable of which are the orange, palmetto, tupelo, titi, mangrove,
partridge pea, goldenrod, gallberry, Spanish clover, and cotton.
(Cotton produces about 32 per cent of all the honey made in the
Southern States.)
It is not even necessary to have a farm on which to keep bees;
they seem to do just about as well in cities and towns (where
the number of colonies is limited) as they do in the country. f
happen to know of one gentleman in Jacksonville who has four
or five hives on top of a five-story office building, and I have
heard of similar instances in Tampa.
Right here within the city limits of Gainesville, which section
is not by any means considered well adapted for bee culture, there
are to my knowledge 9 men who keep bees; these 9 men have a
total of 48 colonies and there are undoubtedly others. As a rule,
these gentlemen have had very good harvests of honey during the
past year. One of them, who has but 2 colonies, made 172 pounds
of surplus honey and comb. My own bees (I have six hives in
my back yard) made an average of 70 pounds surplus per colony
WINTER NUMBER 109
this past season; and one of them, a ten-frame hive, made a
little over 100 pounds.
Bees, if permitted to swarm naturally, will increase about
double each year, although some will swarm more than that, so
when a beginner starts out with one or two colonies, it is not
many years before he has quite a large sized apiary. The cost
of operation, with a few colonies, is very little, and the time
required for their care is of no real importance.
It is advisable that those who anticipate going into the business
of keeping bees should start out with not more than one or two
colonies, learning all they can about it while their colonies are
increasing. In order to secure the best information on the sub-
ject, it is advisable to subscribe to some one of the bee journals
published in this country and to secure some text book, such as
“A. B.C. and X. Y. Z. of Bee Culture’. Bulletins on beekeeping
can also be obtained free of charge from the Department of Agri-
culture, Washington, D. C. Failures have been made by some who
started in on too large a scale, not having the needed experience
required in handling large numbers of hives. The subject is one
that should be thoroly studied, and one finds that the deeper he
gets into it the more interesting it becomes. As stated before,
the first question is that of selecting good stock; then it is
necessary that the bees should be properly housed in regulation
hives, using comb foundation for the purpose of keeping the
honey comb straight. Regardless of the opinion expressed by
some, the old fashioned hive, or “gum”, should never be con-
sidered, as it has been conclusively proven unprofitable. The en-
trances to the hives should be so adjusted as to assist the bees
in protecting themselves from their enemies, and care should be
taken to so place the hives that they will have the proper amount
of shade and ventilation.
The up-to-date beekeeper is not only an operator of his apiary,
but a co-operator with his bees, and it seems that the bees soon
become educated by the partnership as well as the beekeeper. By
this co-operation and co-education of bees and beekeeper, to-
gether with an increased interest in the business and with sen-
sible up to date handling, the result will be a development of
honey production now scarcely dreamed of.
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this genus,
of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive Florida
Specimens, especially of the rarer specie. Will exchange or pay
cash. Address W. Knaus, McPherson, Kansas.
110 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
WANTED—Diurnal Lepidoptera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Over 3000 butterflies on hand for
exchanges. Dr. John A. Comstock, Southwest Museum, Los
Angeles, Calif.
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
Chrysophidae (Lace-winged-flies). All stages desired, especially
material for biological studies. Will determine specimens. Dr.
Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottesville, Va.
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0.Painter Fertilizer Company
Now is the time to spray for trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. There is no better spray than
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the new lime Sulphur spray. It adheres about twice as long
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IN OUR SPRAYING DEPARTMENT
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Florida Bugzgist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
WOlLs i SPRING NUMBER NO. 4
MARCH, 1919
(Printed in April, 1919)
A DAY WITH THE WILD PLUMS
(Feb. 22, 1919)
For perfect bliss give me a day like this, clear, bright, and
warm, but not too hot, a thicket full of bloom and insects, a net,
and a holiday. The sun’s rays fall cheerfully on coatless back
and hatless head; the scent of the blossoms thrills the nostrils
and the busy hum of insects the ears. Such a day and place
will quickly drown all care and worry, the blues, a hard cold,
and almost an appetite for dinner if one has to forsake the
thicket to get it. For this will be our last chance, as the trees
are fast dropping their petals. A few more days and the hum-
ming host will have dispersed to other hunting grounds hardly
to meet again in such a notable gathering until the chin-
quepin blooms, in late April or May. For the wild plum is a
democratic blossom; its nectar and pollen are open to all comers
from the lordly Yellow Swallow-tail (Papilio turnus) or the
even larger butterfly of the Orange Dog (Papilio cresphontes) to
the minutest fly or thrips. Not so all blooms. Look, for in-
stance, at that Red Bud, Cercis Canadensis. An exclusive aris-
tocrat, its sweets are locked up from the common herd in a
corolla of rigid petals which only the stronger bees (honey- and
bumble-bees) can force apart. The charming Yellow Jasmin is
’ only a little less aristocratic. Its voluptuously scented vase is
accessible to only the long sucking tubes of some of the larger
butterflies. I note only the Yellow Swallow-tail and the black
and white Papilio ajav. Poor pickings for an entomologist at
either of these plants, so let us back to the Wild Plum.
Most conspicuous among the busy throng are the butterflies.
The tree is the Mecca for most of those that have emerged to
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Buggist.
Please mention Buggist when you write our advertisers.
aA THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
date. The Swallow-tails (Papilios) have just commenced to
appear. Besides Turnus and the Orange Dog, Ajax is here, the
Green-clouded Spice Bush (P. troilus) and the blue Pipe Vine
(P. philenor). Almost as large as the Swallow-tails but tail-
less, the Red-Spotted Purple (Basilarchia astynax). Smaller
but still of good size is the variegated Thistle Butterfly (Pyrameis
cardui) and the dark brown Buckeye (Junonia coenia) with six
peacock eyes, a quarrelsome chap, ever ready to engage in com-
bat with a butterfly twice his size. Of the smaller species, an
inch or so across the wings, the pretty little Hair Streaks are
common but not conspicuous. They get their name from the
delicate hair-like “tail” on the hind wings. They are quiet
fellows and stick closely to the blossoms. The largest is Ura-
notes melinus. Its larva is the Cotton Square Borer which also
mines loquat buds. Atlides halesus is about as large and has
perhaps the most beautiful irridescent blue wings of them all.
Darting restlessly from bloom to bloom are several species
of skippers: Thanaos horatius, Lerodea maculata, Thanaos
petronius, Catia drury.
But tastes differ, even in butterflies. Not all of them care for
the wild plum. The Long-tailed Skipper, the adult of the Bean
Leaf-roller, Hudamus proteus, stops for a moment but soon flies
on to the few belated blossoms of the catnip over which he
lingers long. Like the catnip, this butterfly is a relic of last
year’s vintage, a straggler which has lived thru the winter
rather than a spring addition to our fauna. The Cloudless
Sulphur (Catonsilia ebule) too is restlessly roaming the woods
today but stops at the plum for but a moment. The Monarch
(Anosia plexippus) and the orange Nicippe pay but little more
attention to the blossoms.
There are a few day flying moths about the blooms. The
pretty pink and white Bella Moth (Utethesia bella) is here in
some numbers considering the time of the year; they too are’
creatures of the fall.
But the catch of the day is a pair of Psychomorpha epimenis.
It is a rare moth here. I have never seen it before and it has
been reported but once from the state. At first glance, as I
saw them in the top of the tree, I mistook them for an old friend,
the Orange Tip Butterfly, whose acquaintance I first made in a
warm south-facing canon in the Sandia Mountains of New Mex-
ico, to visit which I traveled fifteen horizontal miles and half
a vertical one. But my reward was ample. In spite of the great
SPRING NUMBER 115
difference in the setting, the clean-cut towering Rockies with
their exhilarating air in place of the flat landscape draped with
Spanish moss and enveloped in a dreamy haze, the insect visi-
tors were much the same, at least as far as orders and families.
The calendar said April instead of February, but, as in my
garden today, the peach trees were pink with bloom. But they
grew in irrigated orchards with a vivid green carpet of alfalfa.
But not all the lepidoptera here are adult visitors. Some are
“at home” here, feeding on the leaves. My net gathers several
unknown species of “measuring worms”, Geometrid larvae; but
most conspicuous are the Tent Caterpillars, Malacosoma ameri-
cana. The first warm February days that enticed forth from
their winter buds the first tender leaves hatched out these cater-
pillars. Very quickly they will complete their growth, pupate,
and issue as moths to lay their eggs in a bunch around the
twigs. Here, protected from rain by a heavy coating of var-
nish, they will remain all summer and winter. Why only a
single brood a season, when there is time for a half dozen?
Many other insects, which can find time for but a single gen-
eration in the North, produce two or three in the South. Why
not Malacosma? Why this neglect of opportunity? Is it that
the insect is, geologically speaking, a recent arrival from the
North and has failed to change its habits?
Next to the Lepidoptera, the Hymenoptera are most con-
spicuous. The major part of the busy hum is due to the honey
bees. This is their first good “feed” of the spring and they
are making the most of it. The wild bee, Agepostenon (?) is
here, a beautiful irridescent blue and green fellow, but a lazy
profiteer, a parasite on more industrious bees in the matter of
raising a family.
The bumble bees are here. Prof. Fattig reports four species:
Bombus fraternus, pennsylvanicus, impatiens, and separatus.
But few wasps are about as yet. The common Mud Dauber,
Polistes, is here as everywhere and a number of Digger Wasps.
Of the others I have identified only Odynerus capra.
Diptera, the two-winged flies, are the next most abundant
group, particularly Syrphidae. Prof. Fattig, who paid especial
attention to this group, took fourteen species on this date from
the blossoms of the wild plum. His list, as far as identified,
follows: FHristalis tenax, E. dimidiatus, BE. vinetarum, E. trans-
versus, Helophilus latifrons, Allograpta obliqua, Syrphus amer-
icana, Tropidia quadrata, Syritta pipiens, Psilota buccata, Tem-
116 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
nostoma sp., Melanostoma sp. There are a number of Blue-bot-
tles and Green-bottles about, especially the little Orthellia cor-
nicini. There are a few Tachinid Flies about too, the most com-
mon being Archytas lateralis, built on the plan of a Blue-bottle,
but hairy.
Beetles do not seem to be particularly attracted to the wild
plum. The common little Soldier Beetle or Firefly, Chauliog-
nathus marginatus, is of course, here. From now to late Novem-
ber hardly a blossom will appear that will not be overrun with
these. Here too is the adult of the Southern Corn Root Worm,
the “Bud Worm” of the Carolinas and Georgia, Diabrotica 12-
punctata. We Floridians reserve the name “Bud Worm” for
the first generation of the Corn Ear Worm. The “Black Weevil”
of corn, Calandra oryzae, is here too. I take some pretty little
bronze colored Chrysomelids, Monachus thoracicus, and large
numbers of a minute Chrysomelid and an equally small weevil
as well as a Bruchus.
Neither are true bugs much in evidence. There is an occa-
sional Stink Bug, Pentatomid, mostly EHuschistus servus and E.
variolaris, and a Capsid or two are met with. The Green Peach
Aphid, Myzus persicae, is common and the minute predator
Triphleps insidiosus, which is to be found in most blossoms, is
here in small numbers feeding on plant lice and thrips.
ADDITIONS TO THE THYSANOPTERA OF FLORIDA—V
J. R. WATSON AND EVELYN OSBORN
29. Haplothrips orlando, n. sp.
FEMALE. Length 2 mm. Color, including the entire antennae, uni-
formly dark brown, with considerable reddish-brown hypodermal pigmen-
tation.
Head nearly a third longer than wide, surface striated; cheeks slightly
arched and converging posteriorly, roughened with minute elevations and
set with a few hairs; post-ocular spines rather long and slender but pale.
Hyes rather small, occupying little more than a third of the profile of the
head. Posterior ocelli large, situated opposite the middle of the eyes and
in contact with their margins, directed partly outward. Anterior ocellus
directed forward.- Mouth-cone shorter than its width at the base, scarcely
reaching the middle of the prosternum, rounded. Antennae about 1.5
times as long as the head, segments unusually uniform in size, shape and
color; hairs short and weak.
Prothorax but little more than half the length of the head, 2.5 times as
wide as long, sides widely diverging posteriorly; posterior angles rounded,
each bearing a medium-sized bristle on the posterior border and a shorter
one in front of it; two minute bristles on the anterior border near the mid-
SPRING NUMBER LG
dle. Legs rather long, concolorous with the body; fore femora greatly
enlarged: all femora with a small, stout anteriorly directed, triangular
tooth at the apex within. Fore tarsi with a very large strong tooth within.
This tooth is nearly as large as the rest of the tarsus.
Wings reaching abdominal segment 6 or 7; membrane clear, distinctly
narrowed in the middle; 23 interlocated hairs on the margin of the fore
pair.
Abdomen widest at the base of the first segment, thence rounding to the
base of the rather large tube; no conspicuous bristles on the anterior seg-
ments, those on the posterior about as long as the tube but pale. Those
at the end of the tube pale and slender of medium length, the longest
over half the length of the tube.
Measurements: Head, length 0.3 mm., width 0.21 mm.; prothorax,
length 0.17 mm., width, including coxae, 0.42 mm.; Pterothorax, width 0.45
mm.; abdomen, width 0.5 mm.; tube, length 0.19 mm., width at the base
0.07 mm., at the apex 0.038 mm. Antennal segments 1, 27; 2, 57; 3, 67;
4, 64; 5, 67; 6, 59; 7, 56; 8, 48 microns; total length 0.47 mm.
Described from a single female taken in sweeping shrubs in the “flat
woods” near Orlando, Fla., Feb. 1919. It resembles H. jonesii Karny in
size, color, antennae and the presence of the femoral teeth, but differs
in numerous characters including the size of the spine on the fore tarsi,
short mouth-cone, and absence of spines near the base of the femora below.
Type in the Experiment Station collection.
KEY TO THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF HAPLOTHRIPS
(Seville) (Anthrothrips Uzel)
I. Post-ocular spines wanting. Antennae almost uniformly brown ex-
cept segment 3 and base of 4 which are light brown.
H. statices Haliday (Anthothrips niger Osborn)
II. Post-ocular bristles well developed.
a. Post-ocular bristles and most of those of the thorax knobbed.
b. Sides of the head set with minute spines, surface roughened;
fore tarsus with a large tooth; 10 to 12 accessory hairs on
BREE LOTCM WiInwss osiey D722. 38 eee H. flavipes Jones.
bb. Sides of the head with a few inconspicuous bristles.
c. Head faintly sculptured; no accessory bristles on fore
wing; tibiae brown ....H. (?) Bellus Hood & Willlams.
ec. Head faintly striated; 7 accessory bristles on fore
LLL os ee ee ©) H. dozieri (Watson.)
ecc. Head almost free of sculpture; 3 or 4 accessory
bristles on fore wing; tibiae pale yellow.
H. (2?) tibialis Hood.
aa. Post-ocular bristles not knobbed.
Apex of femora with small anteriorly directed tooth within.
ce. Antennae uniformly dark brown; terminal bristles
shorter than the tube.
d. Tarsal spine short; width of prothorax less
than 2 times the length. H. jonesii Karny
(A. nigricornis Jones.)
dd. Tarsal spine very large; width of prothorax 2.5
INES tS em ox hy eeeeene eee een H. orlando n. sp.
118 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
ce. Antennal segment 3 yellowish brown; terminal brist-
les longer than the tube.
d. Body length 1.8 mm.; antennae nearly concolor-
ous with the body; tube nearly as wide at the
apex as at the base ............ H. haplophilus Hood.
dd. Body length 1.3 mm.; antennae much lighter
than the body; tube about 1.5 as wide at the
base as at apex ........ H. floridensis (Watson.)
bb. Apex of femora toothless.
ce. Width of tube at base more than 1.5 width at apex.
d. Wings clear, except a brownish area at base.
e. Antennae twice as long as head, usual
sense cones present on segment 3.
f. Bristles on the anterior and poste-
rior margins of prothorax about
equal.
g. Antennal segments 3-6
bright yellow, abdominal
spines (except those of the
tube) slender and faint; pro-
thorax: about 1.5 times as
wide as long.
H. verbasci (Osborn.)
gg. Antennal segments 3-6 lght
brown or yellow; abdominal
spines stout and conspicuous;
prothorax about twice as wide
as long.
H. variabilis (Crawford.)
ff. Bristles of the anterior margin of
the prothorax much shorter; fore-
wings without interlocated hairs.
H. malifloris Hood.
ee. Antennae less than twice as long as head,
no sense cones on inner surface of seg-
ment 3; bristles of anterior margin of
prothorax greatly reduced.
f. Only antennal segment 3 yellow, a
little shorter than 2; wings with 7
interlocated hairs; prothorax less
than twice as long as wide.
H. graminis Hood.
ff. Antennal segments 3-6 yellow, 3
longer than 2; 9 interlocated hairs
on wing; prothorax more than twice
as wide as long....H. fawrei Hood.
fff. Antennal segment 3 yellow, 4-6 pro-
gressively darker, segment 3 dis-
tinctly shorter than 2. (Panama)
H. humilis Hood.
SPRING NUMBER 119
dd. Wings clouded with gray, a nearly black area
at the base and a paler one just before the
middle, 2 interlocated hairs.
H. nubilipennis Hood.
ec. Width of the tube at the base less than 1.5 width at
apexcm a GWi., Ts) -222 ee. eee H. gowdeyi Hood.
No. 29 of our previous list (Buggist, Vol. I, No. 4, p. 71) An-
thothrips niger Osborn, is synonymous with No. 45 Haplothrips
statices Haliday. We have therefore given the new species No.
29.
56. Frankliniella insularis (Franklin). Miami, Mar. 1919.
Collected by A. C. Mason on flowers of Citrus and Carissa grandi-
flora. This thrips is widespread thru Mexico and the West Indies.
PERSONALS
Thomas H. Jones of the Bureau of Entomology, Division of
Truck and Garden Crops, stationed in Louisiana, is in the state
for a few weeks in connection with extension work on the melon
aphis.
Mr. Fiske of the Columbia, 8S. C., laboratory of the U. S.
Bureau of Entomology was a recent visitor at Gainesville in
connection with some work on corn insects that is being carried
on in cooperation with the Experiment Station. Mr. Fiske is
a classmate of Mr. Geo. B. Merrill of the Plant Board.
Mr. Merrill has been passing the cigars—a young entomolo-
gist.
Miss Evelyn Osborn is a temporary assistant in the Depart-
ment of Entomology of the Experiment Station. Miss Osborn
is a daughter of Prof. Herbert Osborn, the noted entomologist
of Ohio State University.
Farmer’s Bulletin 1029, ‘Conserving Corn from Weevils in
the Gulf Coast States”, by E. A. Back, contains some data and
photographs obtained by Mr. R. L. Clute here in Florida last
summer.
W.S. Blatchley in Canadian Entomologist, Vol. LI, No. 3, p.
65, treats of “Some New or Scarce Coleoptera from Florida’.
We are able to add a new locality and two host plants to one of
the species he mentions. Tachygonus lecontei Gyll has been
taken at Gainesville from holly and prickly ash. Dec. 2 and
April 18.
The Business Manager of THE BUGGIST spent ten days during
last February assisting in the Better Fruit Campaign in Florida.
. Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROMI. “R: WATSON. 2 een ao ee Editor
(ORT OR. Wile BERGER... 202s ee eee eee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to those who are not members is $1.00 per
year in advance; 25c per copy.
According to the daily papers the city of West Palm Beach has
undertaken a systematic campaign against mosquitoes. We trust
that the movement is backed by trained men and will be such
a success as to serve as an object lesson to the rest of the state.
At least by this highly sensible and progressive action that city
has been placed in a class by herself among Florida cities. May
her tribe increase. May her hotels fill with tourists and her
real estate men flourish as her own bay trees.
The Entomologist of the Experiment Station was recently
called to Florence Villa to advise in regard to combatting mos-
quitoes.
Our most enthusiastic bee man while out on a pleasure ride on
a recent Sunday afternoon espied a swarm in a tall tree. Seizing
his wife’s linen duster he climbed the tree, wrapped up the
colony and carried it safely home. Wonder what his go-to-
meeting (?) trousers look like?
THE CUBAN CITRUS THRIPS IN FLORIDA
In a collection of thrips recently received from Miami from
Mr. A. C. Mason are numerous specimens of Frankliniella in-
sularis (Franklin). This is by no means a welcome addition to
the “bugs” of Florida. Not much is recorded in economic
literature concerning this insect but from what we have been
able to gather from men who have worked in Cuban groves it
would seem that it is a much more serious pest than is our Flor-
ida Flower Thrips and that spraying for it is a more or less
regular procedure in the Isle of Pines. An effort will be made
to discover how widespread this insect is in Florida and a close
watch will be kept on its comings and goings.
(120)
SPRING NUMBER 121
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
Nov. 25, 1918. Under “Timely Notes’ Professor Watson ex-
hibited a collection of several hundred moths of the Velvet Bean
Caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatilis) which shows unusual vari-
ation in color and markings. Professor Watson also reported
severe attacks on citrus and avocado fruits by the cotton stainer
at Miami.
In the first paper of the evening, ““The Sweet-potato Root
Weevil (Cylas formicarius) Situation”, Mr. Bragdon gave an
account of the attempt to eradicate this pest from Baker County.
This comparatively small infested area was selected for three
reasons: (1) isolation; (2) absence of wild host-plants of the
weevil; (3) climate, all potato vines being killed by cold dur-
ing the winter. The Bureau of Ent. U.S. D. A. has established
a laboratory at Macclenny which will attend primarily to the
eradication work. The Plant Board’s share in the work consists
principally in maintaining the necessary quarantines. One or
two growers who cooperated from the very beginning have ap-
- parently already cleared their farms of weevils. The method of
procedure is, in brief: (1) to collect and destroy the last vestige
of potatoes at digging time; (2) to sort and destroy all infested
potatoes at digging time; (3) to dispose of all potatoes by
February in order to starve out the weevils; (4) to plant vines
free of weevils and to plant late; (5) to locate this year’s fields
as far as possible from those of last year. Mr. Bragdon ex-
hibited a map showing the infested regions—Texas, Louisiana,
Alabama (Mobile Co.), and Georgia. Another map showed a
narrow infested strip, five to eight miles wide, bordering the
coast from Tarpon Springs on the west to Ormond on the east
coast. Above those points on each side there is a break in the
distribution of the sea-side morning-glory, the native host-plant
of the weevil. This apparently accounts for the absence of the
weevils on the beaches north of those points.
The second paper of the evening was by Dr. Berger, who gave
a brief account of the larvae, pupae and adults and showed
specimens of one of the Soldier Flies (Stratiomyidae). These
dirty gray maggots and dark brown leathery, active, pupae were
found living in the droppings of chimney swallows that had ac-
cumulated to the volume of about half a hushel on a ledge inside
the chimney just above the fireplace. The droppings, apparently
made up mostly of insect remains, were quite alive with several
122 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
sizes of these larvae and pupae. The species was identified by
Prof. Watson as Hermetia illudens SC, a common scavenger in
rotting potatoes and insects. The adult Stratiomydae are re-
ported as frequenting flowers, but in the larval stages as living
in decaying vegetable matter.
Both papers were discussed by those present.
Dec. 30. Under ‘‘Timely Notes’? Prof. Watson directed at-
tention to the scarcity during the past fall of a group of tropical
insects which extend into the southern U. S. including the Zebra
Butterfly (Heliconius charithonia), the Bella Moth (Utethesia
bella), and the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae, and Anticar-
sia). He is of the opinion that the severe winter of 1917-18 may
be the cause of the scarcity of these tropical species.
Mr. Stirling stated that the Cotton Stainer was causing un-
precedented injury to citrus fruit this fall and winter, especially
in Polk and DeSoto Counties.
The paper of the evening, “‘“Modern Bee Keeping”, by Frank
Stirling (published in THE BuacIsT, Vol. II, No. 3), was next
read and discussed.
Jan. 27, 1919. H.S. Davis in the chair. The annual election
of officers resulted: President, F. M. O’Byrne; vice president,
Geo. B. Merrill; secretary-treasurer, P. W. Fattig; executive
committee, Dr. J. H. Montgomery; editor of THE FLORIDA BUG-
GIST, J. R. Watson; associate editor, Wilmon Newell; business
manager, EH. W. Berger.
Under “Timely Notes” Mr. Frank Stirling reported finding
two specimens of the Palmetto Weevil (Rhyncophorus cruenta-
tus) in a bud of cabbage palmetto which he cut for eating while
on a hunting trip on the Suwannee River a few miles south of
Vista, in Levy County. Prof. Watson reported finding the Big-
legged and the Leaf-footed Plant-bugs (Acanthocephalus feme-
ratus and Leptoglossus phyllopus) hibernating in large numbers
in the large thistles so common in pastures. These thistles
should be cut during the winter. Mr. Bragdon reported find-
ing Huscepes porcellus on moonvine on the shores of Lake Okee-
chobee and on seaside morning-glory at Ft. Pierce; and the
Sweet-potato Root Weevil on sweet-potatoes at Titusville.
SPRING NUMBER 123
Mr. R. L. Warner read the paper of the evening on “Side
Lights on the Black Fly in Cuba”. Mr. Warner served from
Feb. to Aug. 1918 in Cuba in an advisory capacity to the Cubans
in their efforts to control this aleurodid (Alewrocanthus wog-
lumi).
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-TREASURER FOR 1918
RECEIPTS
Balance received from previous Secretary-Treasurer.....................-..-...- $16.95
IDWS, TeAOSINECL thoy dlewanbrerey PAG TUN eee ee 46.50
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EXPENDITURES
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The Florida Buggist, printing, Mar., June, and Sept. Nos..................... 56.35
IROL MMEXPONGTEUNES Bee ne Pees es es ee $62.32
TBI OKAS Wray WANING] aces ee le ey ave UN aos ales
$63.45
E. W. BERGER, Sec’y-Treasurer.
March 3, 1919. The Society was called to order by the Presi-
dent with the following members present: E. W. Berger, F. M.
O’Byrne, G. B. Merrill, J. R. Watson, P. H. Rolfs, Frank Stir-
ling, J. BE. Graf, ©. K. Bynum, J. Chaftin and H. 8. Davis. Vis-
itors present were Miss Evelyn Osborn and C. H. Popenoe of the
Bureau of Entomology, Washington. The following were elected
to membership: Dr. Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottes-
ville, Va., and E. K. Bynum, State Plant Board, Gainesville,
Fla. The resignation of P. W. Fattig as secretary-treasurer
was read and accepted and Dr. H. S. Davis was elected to suc-
ceed him.
Mr. G. B. Merrill then read a paper on “Some New Florida
Scales”. Since the publication of the paper on “Some Florida
Scale Insects” by C. E. Wilson in the Quarterly Bulletin, State
Plant Board, Oct. 1917, 11 additional species have been found in
124 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
the state. The more important facts regarding each species
were briefly summarized. (This paper will be published in the
Quarterly Bulletin State Plant Board.)
This was followed by a paper on ‘‘Mealy-bugs” by J. Chaffin.
Less work has been done on these insects than on any other
group of the Coccidae. About 76 species have been described—
43 of them from California. Practically no work has been done
on these insects in Florida and there are probably fully as many
species in the state as in California. Five species have already
been collected from citrus.
Mar. 22, 1919. In place of the regular March meeting a
smoker for Mr. George Compere, Plant Quarantine Inspector of
California, was held. The following members were present:
F. M. O’Byrne, E. W. Berger, Wilmon Newell, O. T. Stone, J. C.
Goodwin, Frank Stirling, J. H. Montgomery, A. C. Brown,. J.
Chaffin, G. B. Merrill and H. S. Davis. There were present as
guests George Compere, J. C. Holton, J. R. Fulk, Jno. Spencer,
J. J. Grimm, C. H. Willoughby and Mr. F. S. Dresskell of Chi-
cago. The regular order of business was dispensed with and
Mr. Compere gave an informal and exceedingly interesting ad-
dress on ‘‘Parasitic Insects’. This consisted largely of personal
reminiscences of his work in introducing insect parasites into
California and Australia, following the introduction of the
Vedalia, or Australian Lady-beetle, to combat the Cottony
Cushion Scale in California in 1888.
Roughly speaking, a species is a collection of individuals
which resemble each other as closely as the offspring of a
single parent.—Comstock.
A genus is a group of species. Thus all the species of pine
trees belong to the genus Pinus.
Observation, record, generalization, experiment, verification—
these are the processes necessary for the mastery of this sub-
ject.—Forbes.
SPRING NUMBER 1a
A “BAT” FOR A “RACET WILD ANIMAL”
The following, contributed by a farmer on the shores of Lake
Okeechobee, may prove valuable to those similarly afflicted:
“dear sir,
- Please Regard Rabbits & Rats Poisoning How is To Best
Uising Bats (baits) For This Racet Wild Animal Eated Ali
Plant Up and Digging All Seed Out Peanuts Corn Broom Corn
Just Think Digging Out Corn Plant From Two To Three Weeks
Old. * * *K * ok ‘
Since This Rats Eated Seed Bad I Go Over A Bout 30 Acre
Two Week Head Before Plant Corn With Poison Bats Paris
Grien and Arsenata Of Lead Arsenic Zing Together Corn Meal
And Indian Pomckins Coked And-Hed One Pound Sugar & One
Quart Surp To One Peck Poison Bats Distributed Two Time A
Week And I Did Seved 20 Acre Corn. * * *
Yours Veriy Truly,
WANTED—To exchange insects of Michigan, preferably Lepi-
doptera. for insects from Florida. W. C. Platt, 625 Wallace
Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich.
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this genus,
of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive Florida
specimens, especially of the rarer specie. Will exchange or pay
cash. Address W. Knaus, McPherson, Kansas.
Insects are eminently instructive, though their automatic be-
havior is often so remarkably successful as to appear rational,
instead of purely instinctive.—Falson.
Perhaps, after all, it was just a happy thought that prompted
the wasp to grab a pebble in its jaws and with it tamp the
earth over its burrow.—kE. W. B.
126 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
WANTED-——Diurnal Lepidoptera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Over 3000 butterflies on hand for
exchanges. Dr. John A. Comstock, Southwest Museum, Los
Angeles, Calif.
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
Chrysopidae (Lace-winged-flies). All stages desired, especially
material for biological studies. Will determine specimens. Dr.
Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottesville, Va.
“TESTED SEEDS FOR FLORIDA”
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Ohe
Florida Buggist
Official Crees oO oe Hileige Entomological Society- -
VOL. ie SUMMER NUMBER NO. 1
JUNE, 1919
A NEW SPECIES OF VELIA FROM FLORIDA (HEM.-HET.)* ©
By CARL J. DRAKE
While collecting insects about two miles southwest of Gaines-
ville, Florida, during the summer of 1918, the writer found
numerous specimens of a species of a water-strider in an old
swamp. A study of this material indicates the insect to be an
undescribed species of the genus Velia, family Veliidae. The
species is very closely allied to Velia stagnalis Burm. Mr. W. L.
McAtee has very kindly compared a male and female with his
series of V. stagnalis, collected in the vicinity of Washington,
D. C. The insect is named in honor of Prof. J. R. Watson, who
has taken a great interest in Florida insects.
Velia watsoni new species.
Head formed as in V. stagnalis Burmeister, the smooth impressed
median line quite distinct. Eyes globose, strongly faceted. Antennae long
and slender; basal segment curved, much stronger, also two-sevenths longer
than the second; the second a little stronger than the third; the second, third
and fourth about equal in length. Pronotum very coarsely punctured, longi-
tudinally carinate in the middle, produced and rather narrowly rounded
posteriorly, the tubercles large and prominent. Metapleura with the up-
ward projecting spines visible from above, located, as in stagnalis, about
the middle. First and second abdominal segments (dorsal surface) with
a lateral carina on each side. Legs long and rather stout, the under sur-
face of femora and tibiae denticulate; length of tarsi and tarsal segment
proportioned about the same as in stagnalis. Antennae, legs and body
pilose and setigerous, the hairs along the posterior margin of the pronotum
becoming rather long. Length, male 4.2 mm. and female 4.1 mm.; width,
male about 1 mm. and female 1.12 mm.
Color: General color dark or blackish brown. Legs pale luteous, the
bands varying from light brown to fuscous. Eyes black. Antennae pale
*Contributions from the Department of Entomology, New York State College
of Forestry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Buggsst.
Please mention Buggist when you write our advertisers.
2, THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
brown to brown. Pronotum brown, the posterior portion becoming yellow-
ish brown in the female. Abdomen dark brown, the venter blackish; con-
nexivum (male) with a yellowish brown spot on the anterior portions of
each of the last three abdominal segments and the entire connexivum
lighter with more prominent markings in the female.
Described from numerous specimens, collected during the summer of
1918 near Gainesville, Florida. Type and allotype in my collection. Para-
types in the Florida Experiment Station, Museum of the University of
Florida and my collection. The eggs are deposited on floating aquatic
plants and floating sticks or wood just beneath the surface of the water.
The species is predaceous and lives in stagnant water. The macropterous
form is unknown. The insect very closely resembles Velia stagnalis Burm.
from which it may be distinguished by its darker color, the much more
prominent tubercles in the pronotum and the much longer antennae. The
first antennal segment in V. watsoni is much longer than the first antennal
segment in stagnalis, the first segment in the latter and the second seg-
ment in the former being equal in length.
Velia stagnalis Burmeister. Z
Van Duzee (Cat. Hem. of Amer. North of Mexico) records this species
from Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, North Carolina and West Indies.
I have two specimens from Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie (collected by V. R.
Haber) and four from Rockbridge, Ohio (collected by A. J. Bassinger).
The Ohio specimens were collected in stagnant water; they agree perfectly
in form and color with a specimen from District of Columbia that Mr.
McAtee has kindly presented to me.
ADDITIONS TO THE THYSANOPTERA OF FLORIDA.—V.
J. R. WATSON
A collection of thrips from Mr. A. C. Mason of Miami, contains
two new species and a new variety as follows:
57. Dictyothrips floridensis, n. sp.
General body color dark brown, legs and antennae light brown. Head
and thorax deeply reticulated.
Measurements: Total body length 1.00 mm. Head: length 0.10 mm.,
width 0.15 mm.; prothorax: length 0.11, width 0.16 mm.; mesothorax:
width 0.24 mm.; metathorax: width 0.20 mm.; abdomen: width 0.23 mm.;
antennae: segment 1, 24; 2, 40; 3, 50; 4, 40; 5,485 6, 58s) 7) Loses 24
microns; total length 0.267 mm.
Head 1.5 times as broad as long; cheeks strongly arched, sparsely pilose;
front with a median ridge, extending well forward, forming a right angled
projection between the antennae. Bristles: two postocular, one in front of
each posterior ocellus, and a row of four across the frons in front of the
anterior ocellus; all short, but with bright-colored conspicuous bases.
Eyes very large, occupying %3 of both the length and width of the head,
markedly bulging, sparsely pilose, facets very large. Ocelli very large;
the posterior pair situated about the middle of the border of the eyes,
a sr a ane aaceall
SUMMER NUMBER 3
anterior facing forward. Antennae 2.5 times as long as the head; seg-
ments 1 and 2 dark brown, concolorous with the head, and 3 and 4 yellow-
ish brown, others light brown; 2 much wider than the others, 6 longest;
sparsely provided with bristles.
Mouth cone short and sharp pointed.
Prothorax about the size of the head, sides convex and roughened with
rather large papillae and bearing a few short, recurved bristles.
orange; antennal segments 3-5 light brown to yel-
low and shaded.
SUMMER NUMBER t
d. Color uniformly dark brown to black; wings
brownish gray to dark brown, the basal %4
to 4% clear.
e. Bristles, especially on prothorax and
wings, very long and heavy; prothorax
considerably longer than head. Large,
1.6 mm. or more.
f. Bases only of middle and hind
femora and tibiae clear pale yel-
low.....---. F. annulipes Hood (’15).
ff. All tarsi and tibiae, and most of
fore femora pale lemon yellow.
F’. citripes Hood (’16).
ee. Bristles long but slender; body length
about 1.4 mm.; prothorax about as long
as head; all tarsi and tibiae lemon yel-
LO Witenes F. auripes Hood (715).
eee. Bristles moderate; middle and _ hind
tibiae and femora deep brown; pro-
thorax longer than head. Length
about 1.4 mm.....F. insularis (Franklin).
dd. Body color yellowish brown, fore wings uni-
formly shaded with gray...F’. nervosa (Uzel).
THE BUTTERFLY’S LULLABY
As we lay stretched out on the forest floor at the edge of the
hammock feasting our eyes on colors of the sunset sky, along
comes a butterfly hunting a safe nocturnal retreat. After trying
several leaves, she finally finds one to her taste and settles down
on the under side of it. Can one whose day has been so full of
activity suddenly cease all motion and sink into the quiet of
sleep? No more easily than can an active child. There must be
a transition, a gradual letting down of nervous tension. So
the butterfly waves her wings up and down, rather rapidly at
first but then slower and slower until all motion ceases. Have
we not here the essence of a lullaby, a monotonous repetition
which gradually becomes slower and slower; a lullaby of motion
rather than of sound; a lullaby given by the tired one herself,
because there is none other to give it.
“The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is
uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it.”—Thoreau.
“Hold thou, my friend, no lesser life in scorn,
All nature is the womb whence man is born.”
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROFS Je itz WATSON aE Sos patie ae eR On aie ae Seats ; ce Editor
PRO. WilMONGCNEWHE LESS ee ee Associate Editor
DRS Ee W. BERGER 5 30 eee eee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
THE CHASE OF CATOCALA
What the trout or the tarpon is to the fisherman, or the tiger-
beetles to the coleopterist, the Catocalas are to the lepidopterist—
the most “game” of all his prey. The hind wings of many species
are very showy with wide, curved bands of red or orange. For
these the moths are called ‘“Underwings”. Their attractive
colors and goodly size make a desirable showing in the cabinet.
But in the woods, as the moths squat in their favorite day quar-
ters on the bark of some tree, these gaudy colors are safely hid-
den under the somber grays and browns of the fore pair which
are laid back at an angle of 45 degrees so that the moth forms a
triangle. The camouflage is perfect and could the moths but sit
pat, they could rest in peace as far as humans are concerned.
But if one passes within a yard or two of the tree they invariably
have an attack of “nerves” and dart away with a quick jerky
flight and I can no more resist the impulse to give chase than
can a puppy resist the impulse to pursue any rapidly moving
thing, be it mouse or railway train. The lepidopterist may
know full well that he already has a case full of that particular
species and has no more need of another than has the puppy
for the train, but the pursuit is the rarest of sports. The primi-
tive instinct of the chase asserts itself and after the moth he
goes. But the method of the chase must be that of the cat
rather than the dog. We will watch the moth as it darts away
to seek another hiding place, trying first one tree trunk and then
another until it finds one dark enough to satisfy its negative
heliotropism. It will always be in dense shade and usually on
the side away from the sun. Towards dusk the moth may fly
into the tree tops but very seldom during the middle of the day.
Still more seldom does one alight on the level ground but often
(8)
SUMMER NUMBER 9
under the overhanging edge of a perpendicular bank. As it
darts away it usually becomes lost among the tree trunks. But
by following it carefully with our eyes—and feet too—we can
sometimes locate the alighting place. If we are so fortunate
the stalking begins. No use to try a frontal attack on these wary
fellows; they will invariably fly again long before cone gets within
striking distance. Having spotted our moth we will make a wide
detour, the radius of the circle being in direct proportion to our
desire for that particular moth, keeping our eyes constantly on
the central tree trunk. The chances are that he will fly again
before we can get near him, but sometimes fortune again smiles
and we get up to the tree unobserved. By cautiously peeping
around the bole we may bring one of his wings into view without
being seen ourselves. Having thus located our quarry we make
a quick sweep around the tree and capture our prize—sometimes.
More usually we catch nothing but a fleeting glimpse of his
gay underwings as the now thoroly frightened moth betakes
himself to parts unknown. Rarely indeed does he give us another
chance at him. Altho the chances are against us at every turn,
if we are persistent and the moths plentiful, we may occasion-
ally experience the thrill of seeing one wildly flapping in the net;
a freshly landed trout jumping on the bank has no greater. But
the moth is game to the last and sorrow and exasperation will
surely be our lot if there is a hole in the net. But should fortune
frown upon us and we leave the woods with empty bottle, we
reek no more than the luckless fisherman who at the close of a
perfect day goes home to a supper of collards. Have we not en-
joyed a rare game? Are our lungs not full of the ozone of the
forest, and our eyes and nerves, tired by a week’s work in office
or laboratory, again refreshed? It is rare sport, much superior
I am convinced to either tennis or golf, and as for sitting idly
on a bare bleacher and watching someone else play baseball—
one might as well go to a formal reception.
Only in the more dense hammocks may we hope to find the
underwings, a forest to whose floor but few rays of sunshine
penetrate. And it must be a high and dry hammock where the
larva’s host plants, oaks and hickories, grow. A low hammock
of maples, ashes and sourgums will yield us nothing. Further-
more it must, for a successful hunt, be comparatively free of
underbrush. Not that the catocalas object to underbrush but
the hunter does. To put all your energy and thought into a
grand final sweep with the net only to tear it on a greenbrier
10 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
while the moth dashes away, is conducive to language which
should be reserved for mules, stovepipes, and collar buttons.
The season of the Catocalas is from the last week in April te
the middle of June. My earliest capture was of ultronia celia
on April 11; but Grossbeck (Bul. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 27,
List of the Lepidoptera of Florida) records ilia as having been
captured at Lakeland on March 31. He does not record a single
capture of any species after May 8. This is due, however, not
to the lack of Catocalas after that date, but to the lack of col-
lectors. Most of our entomologists have been migratory animals
which left early in the season. Catocalas are at their height of
abundance in late May and early June. Only two species have I
ever captured after July 7: ultronia celia on Oct. 16 and agrippina
from June 29 to September 13. Evidently the latter does not
emerge until late June, which accounts for its having been
missed by collectors.
THE CATOCALAS OF FLORIDA AND GAINESVILLE
Grossbeck lists seventeen species and seven varieties from the
state. To these I can add two species and a variety as follows:
C. consor, May 25; said to be a rare species.
C. agrippina from Gainesville and its variety subviridis col-
lected by Mr. Fritz Fuchs at Wauchula in June. So our Florida
species now total 19 with 8 additional varieties. Of these I have
captured about Gainesville but nine species and a variety.
Sappho seems to be our most common species,‘at least more
have been captured. This, however, may be partly because its
large size (often three inches across the wings) and the light
gray color of its upper wings make it more conspicuous than
the others. The under wings are dark brown edged with white.
Both Holland and Barnes and McDunnough say it is rare. Its
life history is entirely unknown. Its relatives spend their cater-
pillar days on the hickory and it is probable that this one does
likewise. It is found only in woods with hickories.
Another with dark brown under wings is epione. This is
smaller and the upper wings are mottled dark gray and brown.
It has been captured only at Gainesville and in late May. It
is evidently another late-emerging species which has escaped
the tourist entomologists. Its larva lives on oaks and hickories.
Agrippina is the third species with dark brown unbanded
under wings. Its colors are much like epione but it is a larger
insect, Some measuring 3.5 in.
SUMMER NUMBER 11
Of the species with bright orange bands across the underwings,
ilia Cramer is the most common. Its upper wings are mottled
gray and expand 3.5 in. My captures are from May 12 to 23.
Cara is a trifle larger. It is more brown on the upper wings
and the bands on the under wings are red. It is not common here
because, of the food plants of its larva, willow is scarce and pop-
lar entirely absent. Ours is the var. carissimas, the southern
form.
Ultronia has much the same colors but is smaller, about 2.25 in.
Its var. celia has the first black band of the under wings nar-
rower and usually a whitish smudge running lengthwise of the
fore wing. Its larva feeds on oak, wild cherry, and plum.
In muliercula Guer (The Little Wife) the bands are yellowish
orange. My captures range from May 26 to June 11, but Gross-
beck records it from Lakeland as early as May 5. The food plant
of the caterpillar is wax myrtle.
In similis var. aholah the orange has been replaced by yellow.
This is the smallest of our species, measuring but little more
than 1.5 in. April 18 is the only date.
The caterpillars of the hickory feeding species often attack
pecans but seldom become numerous. The insect is a lover of
the deep forest and visits the more open pecan groves only occa-
sionally and at night.
PERSONALS
Clarence Bass, who is now with a subchaser doing patrol duty,
recently enjoyed shore leave at Miami and renewed his ac-
quaintance with former associates in the State Plant Board work.
F. F. Bibby is at present with the U. S. Field Hospital and is
stationed at Santo Domingo, D. R.
O. K. Courtney is now in the employ of the Federal Horti-
cultural Board and is stationed at New Orleans in connection
with the work of inspecting plant importations at that port.
L. A. Daniel, District Inspector for the State Plant Board, is
planning to leave for the North early in July to be gone for
several months.
J. Chaffin is at present on a trip to the East Coast, where he
is assisting various assistant nursery inspectors of the Plant
Board in the work in their respective districts.
2 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
J. C. Goodwin is spending a couple of weeks in the field inspec-
tion work on the East Coast along with the Plant Board in-
spectors working under the direction of District Inspector A. L.
Swanson.
J. E. Graf recently left for Washington, where he will spend
some time in conference with the officials of the Bureau of Ento-
mology regarding the eradication of the sweet potato weevil.
A. S. Hooker has recently been transferred from scout inspec-
tion work in Lake County, Fla., to duty at Sebring, Fla.
W. N. Hull has recently returned from a few weeks’ sojourn
at Hot Springs, Ark. He plans to shortly move from Miami to
a point on the Florida Keys where important developments in
connection with the lime industry are under way.
Arthur C. Brown is at present in charge of the port and quar-
antine inspection work at Miami for the Federal Horticultural
Board and State Plant Board of Florida. :
Walter O. Lahrman, formerly assistant nursery inspector for
the State Plant Board, is now in the garage business at Daytona.
L. Russell Warner is in charge of the plant quarantine inspec-
tion work at Key West, assisted by Messrs. Emil L. Gehry and
Harold Mowry.
Thomas R. Robinson, who returned a few weeks ago from
military service, is now stationed at Largo, Fla., in connection
with the canker eradication work of the Bureau of Plant In-
dustry and State Plant Board.
| L. O. Smith is now an inspector in the employ of the Federal
Horticultural Board and is stationed at E] Paso, Texas.
“Doc” (C. E.) Wilson and Mrs. Wilson (formerly Miss Mil-
dred Nothnagel) are now located in their new home at the Ex-
periment Station at St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
Miss Evelyn Osborn leaves for her home in Ohio early in July.
The small appropriation given to the Experiment Station by the
Legislature has rendered it necessary to dispense with all as-
sistants.
Dr. H. S. Davis, secretary of the Society, has left on his sum-
mer vacation. He will spend most of it at the laboratory of the
U.S. Bureau of Fisheries at Fairport, la., studying the diseases
of fishes.
SUMMER NUMBER lies
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
April 28. The Society was called to order by the president
with the following members present: E. W. Berger, E. K. Bynum,
H. S. Davis, P. W. Fattig, K. S. Lamb, G. B. Merrill, Wilmon
Newell, F. M. O’Byrne, Frank Stirling, O. T. Stone, J. R. Wat-
son, A. C. Brown. Visitors: F. N. Cellon, Miss Evelyn Osborn.
Under ‘Timely Notes” Mr. Stirling exhibited specimens of the
large luminous elater of the West Indies, Pyrophorus noctilucus,
_ taken from the mails by the quarantine department at Key West.
The large luminous areas on the sides of the prothorax gave off
a light sufficient for reading a newspaper. Mr. Stirling exhibited
a drone trap filled with drones captured at the entrance to one
of his hives.
Mr. Stirling read a paper on “Birds as Plant Preservers’’,
pointing out the great value of birds in keeping down insect
pests and in destroying the seeds of weeds.
Prof. Watson gave a brief talk on The Cuban Citrus Thrips,
Frankliniella insularis.
May 26. The meeting was called to order by Pres. O’Byrne.
The following new members were elected: Miss Evelyn Osborn,
assistant entomologist in the Experiment Station, and G. F.
Mosnette, in charge of the Laboratory for the Study of Insects
of Sub-tropical Fruits Other than Citrus, U. S. Bur. Ent., Miami.
P. W. Fattig gave the paper of the evening on “Grasshoppers’’,
drawing largely from his experience while connected with the
anti-grasshopper campaign in North Dakota. He stated that he
had collected 47 species in the Gainesville region.
Under ‘‘Timely Notes’? Dr. Berger exhibited specimens of an
unidentified beetle boring in citrus. He stated that it is the first
time he has had any experience with borers injuring citrus but
has understood that there was considerable injury after the
great freeze. Prof. Watson, as the member of the committee
for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, announced that the
Ecological Society of America desired information concerning
tracts of land which should be preserved in their natural con-
dition for the study of their peculiar fauna and flora. He also
announced considerable damage to peanuts by thrips at Olds-
mar. E. K. Bynum reported having found a severe infestation
at Moore. Haven.
The Secretary called attention to a monograph on #te Ameri-
14 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
can species of the genus Catocala (Moths) by Barnes and Mc-
Dunnough which had been presented to the Society by the Amer-
ican Museum of Natural History.
H. S. DAVIS, Sec’y.
June 23. Meeting called to order by Pres. O’Byrne. Visitors
present were Dr. C. F. Hodge, instructor in nature study in the
summer school; Mr. W. L. Goethe, principal of the Eustis schools ;
Miss Ora Hiatt and Mr. J. C. Holton, beth of Gainesville, Fla.
The paper of the evening on “Spiders” was read by Miss
Evelyn Osborn. This was illustrated by specimens of some of
the more common species of spiders of the Gainesville region.
Under ‘‘Timely Notes” Dr. Hodge mentioned the success which
his fly trap is meeting. Jock. We
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this
genus, of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive
Florida specimens, especially of the rarer species. Will ex-
change or pay cash. Address W. Knaus, McPherson, Kansas.
“TESTED SEEDS FOR FLORIDA”
SEEDS FOR
FARM AND GARDEN
INSECTICIDES,
FUNGICIDES,
DISINFECTANTS
Send for our Catalog.
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PALATKA, FLA.
fi When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
"CYANEGG”
SODIUM CYANIDE 96-98 %—Cyanogen 51-52%—In EGG
SHAPE. Each egg weighs approximately one ounce.
The most effective FUMIGATING MATERIAL to destroy
Scale Insects on CITRUS TREES, Nursery Stock and plants
of all kinds. In CALIFORNIA the majority of orange
growers have been using “CYANEGG” for Fumigation for
many years with excellent results.
"CYANOGRAN”
SODIUM CYANIDE 96-98%—Cyanogen 51-52%.
In GRANULAR FORM.
An ideal material for SOIL STERILIZATION against
ROOT KNOT
Manufactured in U. S. A. by the
ROESSLER & HASSLACHER CHEMICAL CO.
100 William Street NEW YORK, No.
Factory: PERTH AMBOY, N. J.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
Now is the time to spray trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. We handle the
DRY LIME SULPHUR
It saves freight on water and expense of handling. Ship-
ped in air-tight packages with removable top. Will keep
indefinitely if top is replaced after using. Dissolves readily
in any water. Add Dry Lime Sulphur to water and stir.
Five pounds to one hundred gallons water for rust mite,
equivalent to two gallons 33° Lime Sulphur Solution to
one hundred gallons of water. Prices range from 101% to
25c per pound according to quantity order.
Arsenate of Lead Carbolic Acid, Crude
Bluestone Copperas
Bordeaux Mixture Fish Oil Soap
Genuine Protexol Soluble Sulphur Compound
Caustic Soda Sulphur Flowers, etc.
Schnarr’s Spray Formula Target Brand White Fly De-
stroyer.
Fresh stock of goods always on hand.
IN OUR SPRAYING DEPARTMENT
we carry only the best and most reliable, such as Leggett’s
Champion Duster, Lowell Compressed Air Sprayers and
Gould Sprayers. Write for booklet and prices.
E. 0. PAINTER FERTILIZER CO., Jacksonville, Fla.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Time
Pepper Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
WANTED—Diurnal Lepidoptera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Over 3000 butterflies on hand for
exchanges. Dr. John A. Comstock, Southwest Museum, Los
Angeles, Calif.
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
Chrysopidae (Lace-winged-flies). All stages desired, especially
material for biological studies. Will determine specimens. Dr.
Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottesville, Va.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
oOhe
Florida Buggist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VOL III AUTUMN NUMBER NO. 2
SEPTEMBER, 1919
(Printed in November)
*MOSQUITOES FOUND ABOUT GAINESVILLE, FLA.
By UC) LORTIN
PART I. SPECIES, BREEDING PLACES, MOSQUITOES AND DISEASE,
NATURAL ENEMIES, PREVENTIVES
Mosquitoes have been known to man since time immemorial,
but so far as we know, there has been only one man who was
thankful for their existence. In the Old Testament we find that
when King Saul was seeking David to slay him, he was asleep
in a cave one night when David entered and secured his spear
and a bit of his robe. In the Talmud version of this story, we
are told that King Saul was guarded by Abner who had stretched
himself across the entrance of the cave so that David had to
crawl over him to enter. As David was leaving, Abner turned
and threw his leg over David’s ankle. If David moved, Abner
would awaken and kill him; if he waited, day would come and
death would follow. The Lord seeing David’s predicament, sent
a mosquito to bite Abner and cause him to move his foot, thus
freeing David who went away thankful and praising God for
sending the mosquito. Since that time, man has considered them
a nuisance—not only this, but the more recent discoveries have
shown them to be transmitters of disease and one of the greatest
menaces to public health with which we have to contend.
Mosquitoes are found everywhere, from the frozen arctic
regions to the depths of the tropical jungle. When Linnaeus, in
1758, published his catalogue of all the animals then known to
exist, he recorded only six species of mosquitoes. Theobald
*Thesis presented at the Univ. of Fla., in 1913, for the degree of Master of
Science.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Buggist.
Please mention Buggist when you write our advertisers.
PLATE I. Culex quinquefasciatus. (1) Egg rafts (enlarged). (2) Larvae (Wig-
glers) showing long anal or respiratory tube and oblique angle of suspension from
surface of water. (3) Respiratory tube of larvae (greatly enlarged). (4) Head end
of Larva (enlarged). (5) Larvae (enlarged). (8) Head of adult’ male showing
plumose antennae and long palpi.
Original numbering of figures has been retained but Figs. 6, 7, 11, 14 and 15
have been omitted
AUTUMN NUMBER 19
(1901), in his Monograph of the Culicidae of the World, listed
about six hundred species, over sixty of which are recorded from
the United States.
Naturally the first question that arises is, ““Where do all these
pests come from?” “Where do they breed?” It is now known
that, with a few possible exceptions that do not occur here, all
mosquitoes are aquatic in their younger stages. They live under
the surface of the water but are true air-breathers without gills
and must come to the surface for air. The air is taken in through
the trachael tube which ends in the prolongation of the eighth
abdominal segment, called the anal or respiratory tube. This
tube is pushed through the surface film and a supply of air drawn
in. Later, in the pupal stage, they breathe through two trumpet
like tubes arising from the top of the thorax. The food of these
larvae consists of bacteria, slimes, and decaying animal and
vegetable matter, while a few are carnivorous. Different species
breed in different kinds of water. Some will breed only in salt
water, others in clean fresh water, while still others prefer pol-
luted sewerage. In studying the mosquito question for extermi-
nation, it is important to know where and what kind of breeding
places we have to contend with.
The following species have been taken, but there may be others
that occur rarely:
“Culex quinquefasciatus Say.
Anopheles crucians Wied.
Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say.
Stegomyia calopus Meig.
Psorophora ciliata Fab.
Psorophora floridense D. & K.
Megarhinus sp.?
Following is a brief description of these species:
CULEX QUINQUEFASCIATUS
Eggs.—This is the commonest species. The eggs are somewhat conical
in shape and are laid on the surface of the water with the large end down.
They are placed side by side and stuck together, forming a boat shaped
raft (Fig. 1) of six to thirteen rows with forty eggs in a row, each raft
containing from one hundred to four hundred eggs, with an average of one
hundred and seventy-eight and four-tenths (Davis 1906). They are white
when freshly laid, but soon turn grayish brown to black as seen from above,
and silvery grayish below, due to a film of air which protects the eggs
from the water. They usually hatch in from sixteen to twenty-four hours
but they have remained unhatched in the laboratory for ten to twelve days.
A few hours desiccation kills them. (Mitchell 1907.)
The eggs are usually laid at night or early morning, but I have observed
20 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
PLATE II. (9) Head of adult female Culex quinquefasciatus showing pilose
antennae and short palpi (enlarged). (10) Wing of Culex quinquefasciatus. (12)
Larvae of Anopheles resting at the surface of water. (13) Larvae of Anopheles
seen from above. (16) Head of adult male Anopheles (enlarged).
a female finishing a raft as late as 9:30 a. m. on a bright day. Males and
females bred from larvae in the laboratory, have been confined in a breeding
AUTUMN NUMBER re
cage for four weeks with a diet of fresh and dried fruit, but never have
any eggs been deposited unless they were fed a meal of blood. Smith (1908)
states that blood is the preferred food but is not a necessity and he has had
females ovipost on a diet of foul water.
Larvae.—The larvae issue from the under side of the eggs. They have
a long anal tube and float below the surface at an oblique angle (Fig. 2).
The anal tube is about five times as long as wide, tapering rapidly toward
the last half and bears four tufts (Fig. 3). The antenal tufts are set in a
notch on the apical half, and are never over half the length of the antennae
(Fig. 4).
The larvae (Fig. 5) vary in color from light, almost colorless, to greenish,
and nearly black, depending upon the food. Larvae that have had scant
food supply and developed slowly seem to be lighter colored than those
that developed quickly. The larval stage lasts from seven days (Howard
1902) to several months. Smith (1908) has found the time in New Jersey
to vary from one to three weeks depending upon the temperature and the
food supply. The time required here was about two weeks in September and
October, but was probably longer during the winter. In one instance, in
May, they required only seven days to pupate while they have been kept
in the laboratory from October twenty-first to February third and then
died before pupating. The usual time required in the laboratory was four
or five weeks.
The food consists of minute algae, bacteria, and decaying vegetable
material. They browse over the vegetable material and eat the bacteria,
slime, etc., that accumulates there, as well as some cellular tissue, but no
animal tissue has been found in the stomachs examined (Johnson 1902).
They have frequently been observed nibbling over the bodies of the larvae
that had died, and in one instance the larvae of Citheronia regalis*, but they
may have been eating only the bacteria.
Pupae.—The pupae are easily distinguished from the larvae by their
enlarged head and thorax. The trumpet like breathing tubes which are
over six times as long as wide (Mitchell 1907), arise from the dorsum of
the thorax. The pupal stage lasts from two to several days.
Adults.—The adults are small to medium sized individuals, usually light
brown in color, though varying from light green to almost black. The
abdominal segments are banded basally with white, usually conspicuous,
but sometimes indistinct. They rest upon the wall in a horizontal position,
with the head upward, and the body held parallel to the wall.
The scutellum is three lobed with the posterior end of the thorax bare.
The palpi in the males are as long as the proboscis, but in the females less
than one-half as long. The antennae of the males (Fig. 8) are thickly
covered with hairs, but in the females, sparsely covered (Fig. 9). The front
claws of the males are toothed, but single in the females with the tarsi
uniformly blackish. The veins of the wings (Fig. 10) are uniformly covered
with narrow scales. The petiole of the first submarginal cell is about one-
fourth the length of the cell. They do not fly far, but several hundred
yards may be covered when seeking for food or breeding place. (Smith
1908.)
The length of life of the adult is very variable. In the north the im-
*The Regal Moth.
22, THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
pregnated females hibernate over winter and then may live several weeks
and lay two or three times. They have lived for five weeks in confinement
in breeding cages (during April and May) on a ration of dried fruits.
PLATE Ill. (17) Head of adult female Anopheles (enlarged). (18) Wing of
Anopheles crucians (enlarged). (19) Wing of Anopheles quadrimaculatus (enlarged).
(20) Pupae of Stegomyia calopus suspended at surface of water by the breathing
tubes on thorax. (22) Top Minnow (Gambusia affinis).
AUTUMN NUMBER 23
BREEDING PLACES
Larvae have been taken in holes, puddles, wells, buckets, barrels, stump
holes, basements of buildings, wagon ruts, marshes, ditches, cess-pools,
and dishes inside or outside of buildings.
ANOPHELES
Eggs.—The eggs are boat shaped, one side being flatter than the other,
and are covered with a fine reticulated membrane. They are not stuck
together in rafts, but float singly or in groups upon the surface of the
water. They usually hatch in thirty-six to forty-eight hours, but they
may remain viable for several months (Mitchell 1907). They have remained
unhatched for fifteen days in the laboratory.
Larvae.—The larvae are easily distinguished by their resting position
in the water (Fig. 12). They have a very short anal tube and the body
is always held parallel to and touching the surface, and are supported by
the anal tube and the racemose hairs (Fig. 13) along the sides of the body
indenting the surface film. (Berkley 1902.)
The color varies from very light green to dark brown, almost black.
There are often whitish markings on the thorax and abdomen, but these
are very variable and often entirely lacking. The length of the larval stage
under favorable conditions, may be as short as six days (Howard 1902),
but is often much longer. Anopheles quadrimaculatus has remained in this
stage for two months in the laboratory.
The larvae feed at the surface and will swallow any minute floating
particle.
Pupae——The pupae resemble Culex very much, but they have shorter
and broader respiratory tubes which are placed near the middle of the
thorax. The length of the pupal stage is longer than for Culex, varying
from five to ten days (Howard 1902).
The eggs, larvae, and pupae of the two species we have are very much
alike, and are not easily distinguished.
Adults.—The adults of this genus are easily recognized by the position
in which the body is held when at rest. It is held at an angle to the
surface, which gives them the appearance of standing on their heads. The
body of A. crucians is usually held at an angle of sixty to seventy degrees,
while A. Quadrimaculatus usually forms an angle of forty-five to fifty
degrees. When there is a breeze blowing, they have been observed clinging
to the window screens in the position assumed by Culex, and once or twice
when the wind was blowing hard, the body was pressed against the screen.
When resting, the hind feet usually point backward and are held a little
below the level of the body.
The scutellum is convex behind and the proboscis is straight. The palpi
are as long as the proboscis (Figs. 16 and 17) and the claws simple in
both sexes. The wings are spotted with white and black scales, but the
front margin is wholly black scaled.
Anopheles crucians can be distinguished from Anopheles quadrimaculatus
by the spots on the wings. In A. crucians (Fig. 18) the last vein is white
scaled and marked with three black spots; while in A. quadrimaculatus
(Fig. 19) the last vein is wholly black scaled.
(Continued on page 28)
Ghe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
EROR E. WANCONS Se ee ne eee _Editor
PROFS WAL MON JNE WB eels oer eras eee oe Associate Editor
DRS Eo VW GBR RGER:- sibe net: lee idieas Leone kare yO i Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
AN UNDESCRIBED TELEONEMIA FROM FLORIDA AND
JAMAICA (HEMIP.)*
By CARL J. DRAKE
Since the publication of ‘The North American Species of
Teleonemia Occurring North of Mexico” (Ohio Journal of Sci-
ence, Vol. XVIII, pp. 328-332, 1918) the writer has received
through the kindness of several workers many specimens of
Teleonemia from North America and the West Indies. The new
species described herein is the same form as listed by Van Duzee
in “Notes on Jamaican Hemiptera” (Bulletin of the Buffalo
Society of Natural Science, Vol. VIII, pp. 3-77, 1908) under the
name Teleonemia scrupulosa Stal. The insect is named in the
honor of Prof. E. P. Van Duzee.
Teleonemia vanduzeei new species.
Antennae moderately long, slender, sparsely pilose; first segment a
little stouter than and subequal in length to the second; third segment
moderately long, slender, about three times as long as the fourth; fourth
segment subequal in length to the first and second conjoined. Head armed
with five moderately long, porrect spines, the spines arranged as in related
species. Length, 3.15 mm.; width, 1.2 mm.
Pale testaceous or light brownish testaceous, with dark brown markings.
Pronotum brown, slightly tinged with ferrugineous, tricarinate, lateral
carinae slightly diverging posteriorly; paranota distinctly uniserate, not
quite reflected back against the pronotum proper; carinae rather thin, all
strongly raised and with a single row of rather large areolae, the median
carinae raised anteriorly and projecting subangularly over the base of head.
Elytra constricted a little beyond the middle, with dark brown to nearly black
markings in discoidal and sutural areas; costal and subcostal areas unise-
riate, the areolae rather large; sutural area with the color marking tending
to form a transverse band a little before the apex; discoidal area bounded
_ *Contributions from the Department of Entomology, The New York State
College of Forestry, Syracuse, N. Y.
(24)
AUTUMN NUMBER PAS
by strongly raised nervures, faintly pubescent, mostly dark brown to nearly
black in color. Antennae brown, the apical segment somewhat darkened.
Body beneath brown, usually tinged with ferrugineous. Legs brown, the
tips of femora and bases of tibiae, and the tarsi dark. Rostrum extending
slightly beyond the meso-metasternal suture. Rostral sulcus open behind.
Akin to T. scrupolosa Stal, but readily separated from it by
the longer and much less pilose antennae; the pubescence in the
discoidal area is almost entirely wanting. Twelve specimens.
Florida: Crescent City, September 7, 1898, Otto Heidemann Col-
lector. Jamaica: Mandeville, Kingston, January to April, 1908,
E. P. Van Duzee Collector. Type in my collection; paratypes
in the collections of E. P. Van Duzee, Cornell University (late
Heidemann Collection) and of the writer.
THE NATIVE HOST-PLANT OF THE CAMPHOR THRIPS.
(Cryptothrips floridensis Watson.) *
The camphor thrips was first collected by Mr. W. O. Richtman,
on the camphor farm at Satsuma in November, 1912 (see An.
Rep. Fla. Ag. Exp. Sta. 1913, p. Ixvii). Subsequent search
thruout Florida revealed its presence in many places, but by
no means in all those investigated. This discontinuous distri-
bution and our failure to find the insect on any plant except
camphor, which is an introduced plant, finally led us to the
opinion that it is an introduced pest, perhaps brought to us on
camphor. This opinion was strengthened by the receipt of a
single poor specimen of an adult and several larvae of apparently
this species collected on camphor in Ceylon (An. Rep. Fla. Ag.
Exp. ota. 1915, p. xxi).
The first evidence that pointed to an Nopuecie: conclusion was
gathered on a visit to the DuPont Camphor Farm at Waller last
July. The insect was not noticed in this plantation until spring
of this year and one of the first centers of infestation was near:
a “bayhead” in an out-of-the-way section of the farm. This
pointed to the bayhead as a possible source of the insect. Ac-
cordingly the native vegetation in the bayhead was subjected to
a vigorous sweeping and a single adult of the camphor thrips
was captured. Altho this pointed strongly to the bayhead as
the home of the insect, there was a possibility that the thrips
caught there had strayed into the bayhead from neighboring
*Paper read’ before the Florida Entomological Society Sept. 29, 1919.
26 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
camphor. If the insect was native to the bayhead what was its
foodplant there? Those of you who are familiar with our bay-
heads know that the vegetation there is a bewildering mixture of
a large number of species of shrubs, herbs and grasses with no
apparent order or zonation. It was therefore difficult indeed
to determine the exact host plant. Because it belongs to the same
family as camphor we naturally suspected the bay itself. There
are two entirely unrelated genera of plants that are commonly
called “bays” in Florida. One is a certain small species of Mag-
nolia of the magnolia family and the other is Persea, or Tamala,
of the laurel family, the family to which camphor belongs. It
was, of course, the latter only that was suspected of possibly
being the host plant of the camphor thrips. However, a thorough
beating of this plant at Waller failed to reveal the presence of
the thrips. A fortnight’s vacation spent at Daytona Beach af-
forded an opportunity to study the bay there, Tamala littoralis
being one of the most abundant trees on the island. The very
first tree investigated yielded many of the camphor thrips, both
adults and larvae. Further investigation showed that the thrips
was generally distributed thruout the island. It was found
on trees miles from any camphor and in isolated places to which
the opportunities of catching a ride must be few. On only a
few trees, however, was the infestation heavy. It has since been
found on the same species of bay at Orlando.
Following the discovery of this thrips on bays and its identi-
fication on structural grounds as Cryptothrips floridensis, live
thrips were taken to the laboratory and transferred to camphor.
Vice versa thrips collected from camphor were transferred to
bay. In both cases the insects fed with avidity on the new host.
They seemed to have no choice whatever as between camphor and
bay, provided the leaves or twigs were of an equal age. We
have not as yet had an opportunity to study their behavior in the
field where bays and comphor are growing side by side.
There can then, it would seem, be no doubt but that the native
bays of the genus Tamala are the native hosts of the camphor
thrips which is a native insect that has spread to the camphor
wherever opportunity offered. Its uneven distribution over the
state and its absence from many camphor hedges and trees is to
be explained by the remoteness of the uninfested trees from
bays and lack of transportation facilities.
These developments lead to a reexamination of the specimen
from Ceylon, for if the insect is a native of Florida, feeding on
AUTUMN NUMBER P|
the wild bays, it would seem unlikely that identically the same
species should be found in Ceylon. Altho the Ceylon specimen
is undoubtedly a Cryptothrips and remarkably similar in size
and color to C. floridensis, a close examination reveals differ-
ences in the shape of the thorax and the antennal segments. The
Ceylon specimen is probably a distinct but closely related spe-
cies.
The injury inflicted on bay is similar to that on camphor but
less severe. There is the same destruction of the new terminal
growth but fewer and less severe bark lesions. The larvae seem
to feed more on the leaves and less on the bark than when attack-
ing camphor. Following the destruction of the terminal bud
the lateral buds develop freely, resulting in a sort of witch’s
broom or “multiple bud” growth. The withered terminal shoots
cling to the tree longer than do those of camphor and form
retreats in which the thrips commonly hide. These dead twigs
are the most likely places in which to search for the insects.
Thus far the larvae have been found on only the shore bay,
Tamala littoralis, but trees of Tamala barbonia about Gaines-
ville show typical thrip injury. The avocado belongs to the
genus Persea to which genus the bays have been commonly
referred. Upon the discovery that the latter were the native
hosts of the thrips, some apprehension was felt lest the insects
might be able to feed also on avocadoes and ultimately perhaps
to invade the avocado orchards of the state. In the laboratory,
however, they have refused to feed on young growth of the
Mexican avocado.
The life history of the camphor thrips has not been worked
out in detail. A single generation was raised in May 1913. The
eggs hatched in eight or nine days and the larvae had become
adults by the 24th day.
Contrary to our previous experience we have lately observed
the insect to fly. The flight was, however, very short. That it
does not commonly fly far is indicated by the fact that camphor
trees less than a half mile from a center of infestation have
remained free for years. A hedge near the writer’s home at
Gainesville is still uninfested, altho a colony of thrips has for
six years existed within a half mile and for the past year within
900 feet. This hedge borders an unused alley where opportu-
nities for transportation are few. Trees along the neighboring
street where traffic is heavy have become infested.
J. R. WATSON (Ag. Exp. Sta.).
28 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
MOSQUITOES FOUND ABOUT GAINESVILLE, FLA.
(Continued from page 23)
The length of life of the adult is variable. They must live for at least
a week after biting before they can transmit malaria. In the north, they
hibernate as adults in cellars, barns, ete. (Howard 1911). They fly only
short distances. In the work at Panama, three hundred yards from the
breeding points has proved to be safe.
PLATE IV. (23) Warmouth Bass (Chaenobryttus gulosus).
Anopheles usually bite only at night and this point has been empha-
sized in protection from malaria, but both A. crucians and A. quadri-
maculatus have bitten in the late morning in the Experiment Station toilet.
BREEDING PLACES
Larvae have been taken in the edge of marshes, in road ditches, base-
ments, pools, and several other places that were a mile or more from the
University. They have been several times taken with Culex larvae.
STEGOMYIA
Eggs.—tThe eggs are laid singly as with Anopheles. They are black in
color, conically elongated, and are covered with a reticulated membrane
which collects air and gives them buoyancy (Berkley 1902, Art. by Dr.
Agromonte). They usually hatch in from fifteen hours to three days, but
will stand desiccation for a day or two and remain viable for at least a
month (loc. cit.).
Larvae.—tThe larvae closely resemble those of Culex, but are larger, less
active, and remain below the surface much longer. The anal tube is
somewhat shorter and thicker than Culex, being about three times as long
as wide, and tapers regularly. The anal tube bears but one pair of tufts
and has the teeth of the pecten evenly spaced. The antennae do not taper
apically and the tuft is placed at or before the middle. The length of the
larval stage varies from eight to twenty days.
AUTUMN NUMBER 29
Pupae—The pupae (Fig. 20) resemble Culex, but are larger. They
remain as pupae two or three days.
Adults——The adults are easily recognized. They have the legs and
abdomen conspicuously banded with white and the dorsum of the thorax
bears a lyre-shaped area of white, though this is sometimes inconspicuous.
They fly and bite only during the day.
BREEDING PLACES
The larvae of this species have been found in an old pot, tin cans, and
in pans in the laboratory.
PSOROPHORA
The eggs are large, spined, and laid singly. The larvae are much like
Culex, but can soon be distinguished by their large size, being over one-half
of an inch when full grown. They are cannibalistic and feed upon larvae
of Culex, Anopheles, and the smaller ones of their own species. (Berkley
1902.) The adult of P. ciliata is easily recognized by its large size and the
bands of erect scales on the legs. P. Floridense looks very much like
Stegomyia, but so far as I have observed, they fly and bite only at night.
Neither species are ordinarily troublesome here. No local breeding places
have been found.
(To be continued in Nos. 3 and 4. No. 3 will contain Mosquitoes and
Disease, Natural Enemies, and Preventives; No. 4, Part II, Traps: for Mos-
quitoes. )
PERSONALS
‘Announcements of the marriage of Mr. A. C. Mason of the
U. S. Ent. Laboratory at Miami to Miss Mary McConchie, at
Paris, Ill., have been received. |
Mr. C. A. Bennett has established his laboratory for the cam-
phor thrips work at Satsuma. With J. R. Watson of the Fla.
Exp. Station, who has been made colaborator in the Bureau on
this project, he has recently made a trip to Macclenny, Glen St.
Mary, and Monticello.
Mr. K. E. Bragdon is at present supervising the inauguration
of a general survey of the peninsular section of Florida for the
purpose of finding whether or not the sweet potato weevil has
become established at interior points.
Mr. W. R. Briggs has recently been appointed County Agent
for Manatee County, with headquarters at Bradentown.
Mr. A. C. Brown recently participated in the boll weevil in-
vestigations conducted by the State Plant Board in the northern
part of the state.
30 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Mr. Clarence A. Bass, until recently in the navy, is at present
in Baltimore, recuperating from an operation. Upon his re-
covery he is expected to resume his position with the State
Plant Board.
Mr. Milledge M. Bass recently resigned from the position of
District Inspector for the State Plant Board to accept a position
as manager of a large citrus property belonging to the Standard
Growers’ Exchange, located near Fort Myers.
Mr. Eli K. Bynum has been granted a leave of absence of
several weeks by the State Plant Board, in order to attend to
personal business affairs at his home at Satillo, Miss.
Mr. Virgil Clark is now in western Florida making re-inspec-
tions of citrus properties formerly infected with citrus canker,
this work being done jointly by the State Plant Board and the
Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. D. A.
Mr. Howard G. Carter recently resigned as District Inspector
for the State Plant Board. He will henceforth devote his time
and attention to his fruit-growing properties in southern Dade
County.
Mr. E. F. DeBusk, County Agent of Orange County, has
announced his forthcoming resignation. It is understood that
he will engage in commercial work.
Mr. B. F. Floyd, Plant Physiologist of the University of Flor-
ida Experiment Station, has resigned for the purpose of entering
commercial life. He will have charge of the insecticide work of
the Wilson-Toomer Company.
Mr. Wm. Gomme is now County Agent of Polk County.
Mr. Chas. M. Hunt, Assistant Nursery Inspector for the State
Plant Board, is now located in the Nursery Inspector’s office at
Gainesville.
Mr. Neal E. Hainlin is now engaged in the citrus canker
re-survey work and is located in the northeastern portion of the
state.
Mr. K. 8. Lamb, formerly Asst. Quarantine Inspector with
the State Plant Board, is now occupying a position as traveling
salesman for the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Co.
Mr. Harold Mowry, Asst. Quarantine Inspector for the State
Plant Board, is now located at Key West.
AUTUMN NUMBER il
Mrs. N. M. G. Prange, of Jacksonville, was one of the enthu-
siastic attendants at the recent Citrus Seminar at Gainesville.
Mr. Wilmon Newell, Plant Commissioner, attended confer-
ences, regarding the European corn borer, at Albany, N. Y., and
Boston, Mass., on August 28th and 29th. He afterwards visited
Riverton, N. J., and made a personal investigation of the Jap-
anese beetle infestation at that point.
Prof. S. I. Kuwana, Government Entomologist of Japan, re-
cently visited Florida. At Orlando he visited the Bureau of
Entomology Laboratory in charge of Mr. W. W. Yothers, at
Tampa he investigated the quarantine work of the State Plant
Board, and at Largo the citrus canker eradication work, after
which he spent two days at the University of Florida Experi-
ment Station and the State Plant Board offices at Gainesville.
Mr. L. Russell Warner, Asst. Quarantine Inspector for the
State Plant Board, is ill with typhoid fever at Key West. For-
tunately his condition is not considered as critical and hopes are
entertained for his steady recovery.
Mr. Frank Stirling installed and had charge of an exhibit for
the State Plant Board at the West Florida Fair, at Marianna,
October 28th to November Ist.
Mr. D. N. Reynolds is at present assisting the farmers of
western Florida and particularly those of Jackson and Liberty
Counties in dealing with the mosaic disease of sugar cane.
Mr. A. L. Swanson is heading a small party of inspectors
assigned by the Plant Commissioner to the task of determining
to what extent the mosaic cane disease may have become estab-
lished around Lake Okeechobee.
Dr. C. F. Hodge has accepted an appointment with the new
Extension Division of the University and is a most welcome
addition to our meetings.
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this
genus, of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive
Florida specimens, especially of the rarer species. Will ex-
change or pay cash. Address W. Knaus, McPherson, Kansas.
32 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
A NEW PHYSOTHRIPS FROM OREGON
J. R. WATSON
A small collection of thrips collected by Prof. A. Burr Black
and sent to the writer contains specimens of an apparently un-
described species.
Physothrips blacki, n. sp.
2. General color brown, a slight tinge of orange on the thorax of some
specimens.
Measurements: Total length 1 mm. Head length .09 mm., breadth
0.15 mm.; prothorax: length 0.13 mm., breadth (including coxae) 0.17 mm.;
mesothorax: breadth 0.24 mm.; metathorax: breadth 0.21 mm.; abdomen:
breadth 0.26 mm. Total length on antennae 0.22 mm. Segment 1, 25;
2, 835°3,.005 4,:36.0500,/02.03.0, 425° 7,71 5,5, | famicrons:
Head considerably wider than long; cheeks slightly convex, sparsely
hairy; vertex with several very distinct cross striations; no large post-
ocular bristles, but a row of 8 small bristles extends across the vertex
behind the eyes; a long spine in front of each posterior ocellus. Hyes
large bright red by reflected light, occupying over half the length of the
head and two-thirds the breadth, sparsely pilose, facets large. Ocelli very
large, posterior margins of the posterior pair even with and near the
posterior margins of the eyes, bordered on the inner sides by heavy pig-
mented crescents. Anterior cellus directed partly forward, bordered poste-
riorly by a large pigmented area. Mouth-bone long and pointed, reaching
nearly or quite across the prosternum. Antennae 8-segmented, 1 and 2
almost as dark as the head, 2 often darker than 1; 3 and the base of 4
light-brownish yellow, remainder light brown. Spines and sense cones short
and colorless but some of the latter heavy.
Prothorax squarish, sides slightly convex and diverging posteriorly.
Posterior angles rounded and provided with a pair of heavy bristles. The
anterior angles bear only very short bristles. Mesothorax with very convex
sides, no large bristles. Metathorax with sides nearly straight and parallel.
Legs rather long, except for the lighter tarsi, nearly concolorous with the
body. Fore legs often lighter than the others. Fore wings light brown;
veins bearing prominent bristles; 11 or 12 on the fore vein, 8 or 9 near the
base, 2 in the center and one near the apex; 11 or 12 on the posterior vein,
none on the base; fringing hairs stout but rather short and sparse. Hind
wings colorless.
Abdomen elliptical, tapering acutely to the base. Spines short on the
anterior segments and those on the posterior less than % the greatest
width of the abdomen.
é Smaller than the female. Some specimens are considerably lighter in
color, especially the antennae and legs. The latter are sometimes yellow.
Abdomen widest at the base; well rounded posteriorly. The last seg-
ment bears several pairs of strong but short bristles.
Measurements: Total body length .87 mm.; head: length .086, breadth
134 mm.; prothorax: length .107 mm., breadth .155 mm.; mesothorax
.202 mm.; abdomen: width at base .156 mm.; antennae: total length .187;
sepment i183" 2,.30% 3, 343 4, 34-75; 2886.59") 7, Os) Oo, 1 2eoemicrons:
Described from six females and 12 males collected from California poppy
and dandelion at Corvallis, Oreg. .
AUTUMN NUMBER 33
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
Aug. 4 (Adjourned meeting). Meeting was called to order by
Vice President Merrill at 5 p. m. with the following members
present: Geo. B. Merrill, P. W. Fattig, J. R. Watson, Dr. J. H.
Montgomery, J. C. Goodwin, C. M. Hunt, Frank Stirling, O. T.
Stone, P. H. Rolfs, and E. W. Berger. Visitors present were
Prof. W. L. Floyd, Dr. C. L. Crow, W. L. Goette, Dr. C. F. Hodge
and several students of the summer school. The following new
members were elected: Miss M. F. Hill, teacher, Trenton; W. J.
Schubert, of Armour and Co., Jacksonville; E. F. DeBusk,
County Agent, Orlando; Dr. C. F. Hodge, instructor in summer
school; and W. L. Goette, teacher, Eustis.
The address of the evening by Dr. Hodge on “Housefly Con-
trol’ was listened to attentively. Dr. Hodge exhibited and
explained his fly trap and gave much valuable data on the habits
of flies. Flies will usually not travel much over 500 yards if
food is available within that area. They may travel even a
mile in search of food, and even further over water. The
waterworks of Cleveland, Ohio, situated 114, 5, and 6 miles from
shore were one summer overrun with flies. On the furthest
crib the biting stable fly was most abundant and troublesome.
On the nearer cribs some blue-bottles were present.
One trap is sufficient for a radius of 100 yards provided all
other food is kept out of reach of the flies. One afternoon is
sufficient to capture all the flies in such an area.
Dr. Hodge also explained how he got the idea that it was
possible to “trap a vacuum” of flies. He had been paying boys
to collect flies for feeding young quail. One day while dining
with a friend on an open porch of his residence the absence
of flies was commented upon and it occurred to him that the
boys had caught all the flies. The trap was the outcome of this
observation and finally led to his successful attempts at cleaning
up the flies in whole cities.
E. W. BERGER, Acting Sec’y.
Sept. 29. Meeting called to order by Pres. O’Byrne at 5 p. m.,
with the following members present: E. W. Berger, K. E. Brag-
don, H. S. Davis, G. M. Hunt, G. B. Merrill, Wilmon Newell, F.
M. O’Byrne, Frank Stirling, and J. R. Watson. Visitors present
were C. A. Weigel, and C. A. Bennett.
The paper of the evening was by J. R. Watson on the Origin
34 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
and Hosts of the Camphor Thrips. After an extended dis-
cussion of the paper Mr. C. A. Weigel, who has been conducting
a general survey of the thrips situation in Florida for the U. 8.
Bureau of Entomology, outlined the plans for the camphor
thrips campaign about to be undertaken by the Bureau under an
appropriation of $5000. Following this Mr. C. A. Bennett,
who is to have direct charge of the control work, made a few
remarks. Meeting adjourned at 6:30.
H. S. Davis, Sec’y.
Some damage is being done by pumpkin bugs and cotton
stainers (Nezara viridula and Dysdercus saturellus) to citrus
and other crops. After the adult pumpkin bugs have gotten
onto the fruit the only known remedy is to collect them in large
nets. The cotton stainers may be killed with a good strong
oil emulsion or soap solution sprayed on the trees. Mr. Mosnett
has found that spoiled avocadoes cut in half make excellent
traps for them. While congregated on the avocado they may be
sprayed with kerosene.
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scab or melanose. We handle the
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It saves freight on water and expense of handling. Ship-
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Five pounds to one hundred gallons water for rust mite,
equivalent to two gallons 33° Lime Sulphur Solution to
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we carry only the best and most reliable, such as Leggett’s
Champion Duster, Lowell Compressed Air Sprayers and
Gould Sprayers. Write for booklet and prices.
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Printing for All Purposes
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Gainesville, Florida
WANTED—Diurnal Lepidoptera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Over 3000 butterflies on hand for
exchanges. Dr. John A. Comstock, Southwest Museum, Los
Angeles, Calif.
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
Chrysopidae (Lace-winged-flies). All stages desired, especially
material for biological studies. Will determine specimens. Dr.
Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottesville, Va.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
ohe
Florida Bugsgist
Official wi cal of pa loede Eom er
VOL. m “WINTER NUMBER NO. 3
DECEMBER, 1919
(Printed in January, 1920)
*MOSQUITOES FOUND ABOUT GAINESVILLE, FLA.
By U. C. LOFTIN
MOSQUITOES AND DISEASE
Malaria has been known for a long time, but it is only recently
that it has been shown to be caused by a sporozoan parasite, be-
longing to the family Plasmodidae, and that it is transmitted by,
and only by, Anopheline mosquitoes.
The idea that mosquitoes might spread malaria had been sug-
gested many times, but it was not until 1898 that Dr. Ronald
Ross, of the London School of Tropical Medicine, worked out the
life history of the parasite causing “bird malaria” and found the
' spores developing in the stomach of the mosquitoes. A little later,
Grassi, following Ross’ theory, demonstrated the transfer of
human malaria by Anopheline mosquitoes. Since that time, it
has been confirmed by such a large number of workers that there
can no longer be any doubt.
*This is the second installment of Mr. Loftin’s paper and concludes Part I. The first
installment was printed in the previous number. Part II, ‘“‘Traps for Mosquitoes,’’ will
appear in the next number. All the figures for Part I were printed in the previous number.
The Kny-Scheerer Corporation
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38 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Theobald (1901) in his Monograph reports forty-two species of
Anopheles from the world. There are eleven species found in
the canal zone, at least five of which carry malaria (Darling,
1910). But we, in the United States, have only three that ordi-
narily carry malaria. These are Anopheles punctipennis Say.,
Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say., and Anopheles crucians Wied.
(Howard, 1911), the last two being found in Florida.
While the etiology of malaria is well understood, few people
realize the importance of it. They take it as a matter of provi-
dence that every one in the South should have it and that it does
not amount to much. Indeed, it is very difficult to estimate the
damage it does. But Herrick (1903) says that malaria is re-
sponsible for more sickness among the white population of the
South than any other disease. Howard (1907) points out that
from the meager data available, the death rate from malaria in
the United States amounts to fifteen per hundred thousand, or
twelve hundred per year, and that two-thirds of this is in the
South. Although there are no records available for this state,
Florida, with its semitropical climate, summer rains and large
areas of flat lands, undoubtedly has its share. But the death rate
alone does not begin to show the importance of the disease.
Howard (1909) says:
“But with malaria perhaps as with no other disease, does the death rate
fail to indicate the real loss from the economic point of view. A man may
suffer from malaria throughout the greater part of his life, and his pro-
ductive capacity may be reduced from fifty to seventy-five per cent, and yet
ultimately he may die from some entirely different immediate cause. In
fact, the predisposition to death from other causes brought about by malaria
is so marked that if, in the collection of vital statistics, it were possible to
ascribe the real influence upon mortality that malaria possesses, this disease
would have a very high rank in mortality tables. Writing of tropical condi-
tions, Sir Patrick Manson decided that malaria causes more deaths, and more
predisposition to death by producing cachetic states predisposing to other
affections, than all the other parasites affecting mankind together. How-
ever, it has been shown that the average life of the worker in malaria places
is shorter and that infant mortality is higher than in healthy places.”
Malaria is undoubtedly the most prevalent disease among the
students. The records of the University Infirmary show that
for the present scholastic year (up to May 5, 1913) there were
a total of seventy-two cases treated in the infirmary, thirty-one
of which were for malaria. This is in spite of the fact that there
is, among the students, a strong aversion to going to the infirm-
ary and that only the more serious cases were recorded. The
records show that the time spent in the infirmary for treatment
varies from one to ten days, with an average of three and one-
tenth, or a total for the year of ninety-six. But, as pointed out
WINTER NUMBER 39
above, these records do not begin to show the loss of efficiency
among the students, which is much higher than is shown by these
bare records.
Yellow Fever
We have only to turn the pages of history to see how fatal an
epidemic of yellow fever may be. In 1773, Philadelphia was
nearly wiped from the map. In 1853 there was a severe epidemic
throughout the South, New Orleans alone having a mortality of
eight thousand. In 1878 another severe epidemic swept this
region, and spread up the Mississippi Valley, causing twelve
thousand deaths. In 1892 there were one hundred and ninety-
two deaths at Pensacola, and more recently there was an out-
break, in 1905, in which nearly one thousand lives were lost. It
was clearly demonstrated by Reed, Carroll, Lazear and Agro-
monte, a Board appointed by the Surgeon-General of the United
States Army to investigate this disease, that yellow fever is car-
ried by a mosquito, Stegomyia calopus. The work done in the
recent epidemic, in 1905, shows that an epidemic can be stamped
out by destroying these mosquitoes.
We have Stegomyia present in large enough numbers to cause
trouble should an epidemic break out. I have killed as many as
a half dozen in the laboratory in one afternoon, and for a while
during the fall of 1911 they were very troublesome during the
day at the Experiment Station. At present, there is no danger
from them because we have no causal agent present to start an
epidemic, but it may be introduced into Florida ports at any
time, and this will be especially true with the increased trade
incident to the opening of the Panama Canal.
Dengue fever is another mosquito-borne disease that is of in-
creasing importance. Dr. J. H. Hodges, local agent of the State
Board of Health, estimates that there were five thousand cases
in this county alone last year. While this estimate is probably too
high, it shows that this disease must be reckoned with in the
future.
NATURAL ENEMIES OF MOSQUITOES
Some adult mosquitoes are destroyed by birds, bats, dragon-
flies, and other predacious insects, but their number is compara-
tively small.
A small mite determined by Dr. Nathan Banks as a Hydrach-
nid, close to the genue Thyas, has been found parasitic on the
body of Anopheles. During October and November, it was found
attached to from ten to fifteen per cent of the Anopheles caught,
40 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
but never in a single instance to Culex. As many as eight and
ten have been counted attached to the thorax and abdomen of
some individuals; but it is doubtful if any mosquitoes are killed
by them.
The larvae are more easily preyed upon and we have some
enemies that are very effective in holding them in check. There
are a few water beetles, especially in the sinks, that feed upon
the larvae. This community is a regular paradise for dragon-
flies and there are from fifty to seventy-five species found. Any-
where around the grounds, on a quiet day, one can see scores of
them. Their larvae feed upon mosquito larvae and bemg present
in such large numbers devour many of them. Two well grown
dragon-fly larvae have eaten thirty-five Culex larvae over night.
Dragon-fly larvae have been found in the larger areas of water
in all the marshes surrounding the University, but have not been
found in the sink holes.
The most active enemies* we have are the little top minnows
(Gambusia affinis) (Fig. 22, p. 22) and the “goggle-eye” or a
warmouth bass (Chaenobryttus gulosus) (Fig. 23, p. 28). The
usefulness of the top minnows has been mentioned by other writ-
ers (Howard 1902, Van Dine 1906). It is surprising how many
mosquito larvae these little fellows will eat. A half dozen of them
have eaten over a hundred Culex larvae in a couple of hours, and
ten of them have eaten two hundred larvae (all that were fed
them) for several days in succession. They are very active and
one has only to stand quietly on the bank to see them as they
patrol the water every few minutes. They have been found in
the deeper portions of all the marshes, the sink holes, ditches, and
wherever there is a permanent supply of water. Their small size
enables them to go almost anywhere and to work their way in
among the vegetation. Wherever they are found is a poor place
to look for mosquitoes. They have been found in only one in-
stance in the same pond with mosquitoes. This was in a circu-
lar depression covering four or five acres, lying about a mile
northwest of the University. The depression is shallow and the
slope from the bank toward the center is very gradual. It is
overgrown with water weeds and in some places the edges are
surrounded with sphagnum moss. Anopheles larvae were found
abundant in some places among these weeds and moss. In some
cases, the weeds and moss were so thick that the water could not
be seen at all and it looked as though the larvae were actually
*Determined by Dr. H. S. Davis.
WINTER NUMBER 41
resting upon the moss. The minnows were all about the edges,
but in some places the vegetation was too thick for even them.
Wherever a little open water was found, there were the minnows
but no mosquito larvae. They are very hardy and are entirely
capable of freeing and keeping free from mosquitoes, any area
of permanent water. They can be very readily introduced into
ponds and aquaria that are not already stocked with fish of some
kind. They are oviparous and breed all the year, so a few only
would be necessary for a start.
In the sink holes we have also the “‘goggle-eye”’ which is pre-
daceous upon mosquito larvae. Four of these ate two hundred
full grown larvae and ten Gambusia in four hours. Another rec-
ord shows that they ate one hundred and fifty Culex and thirty-
five Gambusia within forty-eight hours, and still another that
they ate three hundred Culex in one hour. The sinks are well
stocked with them. I have several times caught fifteen or twenty
in an hour with a hook and line. In about one hundred specimens
caught, this was the only species found. They do not seem to
prey upon Gambusia naturally, for both are found abundant in
the same sink. It was very fascinating to watch one of these
fish, six inches long, chase a tiny wriggler. They seem very
hardy and can be kept in an aquarium without much trouble.
These and Gambusia keep the sink holes entirely free. I have
several times during the year, carefully examined the sinks with-
out ever finding a single larva.
PREVENTIVES FOR MOSQUITOES
This subject is naturally divided into two parts. Preventives
for (1) Adults and (2) Larvae. There are endless protective
fluids that have been recommended for protection from the bite
of the adult. These usually contain some essential oil such as oi!
of citronella, castor oil, pennyroyal oil, kerosene, oil of tar, etc.,
and many are undoubtedly repellant to mosquitoes. But all of
them are more or less disagreeable to use and have to be fre-
quently renewed to be effective, and, all in all, they are a poor
makeshift.
Screens and canopies afford great protection, but as ordinarily
used do not keep out all of the mosquitoes. Examination of rooms
in Thomas Hall has shown as high as thirty mosquitoes present,
ten of which were Anopheles (crucians and quadrimaculatus).
This is in spite of the fact that the dormitories have as good
screens aS money can buy, showing how hard it is to keep mos-
quitoes out if they are present.
A? THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Smudges of almost any material that give a dense smoke have
been used and, if the smoke is thick enough, will keep adults away
should anyone prefer to be suffocated rather than bitten to death.
Fumigants will quickly rid a house of the pests and are very
useful in some instances. Sulphur dioxide, made by burning two
pounds of sulphur per thousand cubic feet, has been the stand-
ard in the past and is absolutely reliable but it is objectionable
to use on account of its injurious effect upon household goods.
Pyrofume, a product obtained from the fractional distillation of
pine wood, seems to be as effective as sulphur dioxide and less
objectionable to use (Francis, 1906). Mimms’ culicide, made
by mixing equal parts by weight of melted carbolic acid crystals
and camphor gum, used at the rate of four ounces per thousand
cubic feet is entirely satisfactory but expensive. In experiments
conducted by the writer, it killed all the Culex quinquefasciatus
which were confined in the room in a battery jar covered with
cloth. It is much easier to use and not so injurious as sulphur
dioxide. Tobacco smoke will quickly kill mosquitoes confined in a
tight receptacle. As tobacco is so universally distributed and
cheap, it would be very convenient to use if it would form an
effective fumigant. In experiments conducted by the writer, the
great difficulty was in burning it so as to make a smoke. When
alcohol or saltpeter was mixed in sufficient quantities to burn it,
it would burn without making much smoke and was not effective
when burned in a tight room at the rate of two ounces per thou-
sand cubic feet. It is believed that if some device for burning
tobacco so as to make a dense smoke can be perfected, it will
form a cheap and efficient fumigant. Perhaps something like the
“smoker” used for bees could be used successfully.
Tobacco decoction (containing about two and two-thirds per
cent nicotine) was tried in a tight room containing about seven
hundred cubic feet of space. Twenty-five cubic centimeters were
evaporated over a gas burner and one hundred and four Culex
quinquefasciatus exposed to the fumes for thirty minutes. All
of them were stupefied, but when removed to fresh air, about
seventy-five per cent revived. Another experiment was made in
which ninty-five cubic centimeters were evaporated in the same
room and about fifty Culex quinquefasciatus exposed to the fumes
for one hour. In this experiment none of them were killed. Some
trouble was found in evaporating this much of the decoction, as
it forms a thick syrupy mass and vaporized slowly. It is thought
that “Black Leaf 40” which contains nicotine sulphate can be
WINTER NUMBER 43
used to much better advantage, but none was available for experi-
ment. As it contains about fifteen times as much nicotine per
volume as the other decoction, probably no diffieulty will be ex-
perienced in evaporating a sufficient quantity to kill the mosqui-
toes if it proves effective.
Oil of turpentine was tried as a fumigant, but it caught on fire
so the experiment was discontinued. It burned with a dense
smoke which completely filled the room, but did not kill the mos-
quitoes. Green camphor leaves dried in an oven and burned at
the rate of two ounces per seven hundred feet were not effective.
It is important that the evaporating vessels for any fumigants
be placed near the floor, otherwise the mosquitoes near the floor
will not be harmed, as the fumes are lighter than air.
PREVENTIVES FOR LARVAE
Preventive and remedial work against the adults is desirable
and often very effective, but it is only temporary and does not
destroy the root of the trouble. It is better, in all cases where it
is possible, to either kill the larvae or to destroy or render unin-
habitable the breeding places. It is more satisfactory and usually
cheaper in the long run to destroy the breeding places. The pecu-
liar habits and structure of the larvae make it possible to kill
them rather easily with substances called ‘“‘larvacides.” These
substances float on the surface, forming a film which prevents the
larvae from reaching the air with their breathing tubes. Various
substances have been tried and many have given good results,
but considering everything, petroleum products have proved the
most satisfactory. It was suggested as early as 1812 that kero-
sene was effective in killing larvae, but the use of it did not be-
come very general until about 1895. Since then it has been used
extensively with good results. H.W. Weed rid the campus of the
Mississippi Agricultural College of mosquitoes by oiling eleven
water tanks. Professor Kellogg found that by pouring a little
kerosene in some post holes that the mosquito plague was almost
immediately alleviated at Leland Stanford University. Mr. W.
C. Kerr did some extensive work on ponds and swamps on Staten
Island, and Dr. J. B. Smith reports its successful use in two cases
on Long Island. An oil suitable for this work should be light
enough to spread rapidly and yet heavy enough not to evaporate
too readily. A low grade oil known as fuel oil has been found best
suited for this. Mr. H. J. Quayle (1906) used a mixture of a
heavy, eighteen degree Baume, oil and a light, thirty-four degree
(Continued on page 48)
OGhe
FLORIDA BUGGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROF. J. Re “WATSON lr ee ee ee Editor
PROB: WiEMON NEWELL Sore ae ee Associate Editor
DR oH Wi CBE RGER 2) iver. 2 es See Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
TRICHOGRAMMA MINUTUM TO THE RESCUE
The issue of the Weekly News Letter of the U. S. D. A. for
January 14 bears a reassuring message to the great corn belt. It
has been found that the European Corn Borer seriously damages
only sweet corn and the smaller varieties of flint corn, and that
only in regions where the insect has two generations per year.
In at least the northern part of the chief corn belt only one
generation per year has appeared. Also little damage is done
where weeds are kept down in corn fields, fence rows and waste
places. And lastly, the above named common hymenopterous
parasite is attacking a large percentage of the eggs. However,
no one knows how many generations the insect would produce
during a Florida season, nor its effect upon our flint corn and
sugar cane.
PLANT COMMISSIONER WILMON NEWELL, PRESIDENT
OF THE ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS
Our society was signally honored at the St. Louis meeting of
the American Association of Economic Entomologists by the
election of one of its members as president of that association.
In celebration of this honor some of his Florida friends ten-
dered to Prof. Newell a surprise banquet on the evening of Janu-
ary 12. There were present some fifty guests from the Univer-
sity faculty and Plant Board offices, including the entire Plant
Board (alias Board of Control). Mr. Hodges of Lake City, pres-
ident of the Plant Board, acted as toastmaster. Toasts were
responded to by the members of the Plant Board, the president
and faculty of the University.
(44)
WINTER NUMBER 45
ANNOTATED LIST OF THE INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL
INSECTS OF THE AVOCADO IN FLORIDA®*
By G. F. MOZNETTE
Entomological Inspector, U. 8S. Department of Agriculture
INJURIOUS INSECTS
Trialeurodes floridensis Q.—The Avocado White Fly. Like citrus, the
avocado also possesses its particular white fly. This species attacks the
avocado in the more protected growing sections as does the Dictyospermum
Seale. It is smaller than any of the citrus white flies, possesses white wings
and a pale yellowish body. The pupae are readily distinguished by having
a characteristic fringe. It multiplies rapidly during the summer months,
and causes sooty mold in considerable abundance where present. The
avocadoes growing along the keys and ocean shore are more particularly
attacked by this white fly than are those growing on the mainland. ‘Trees
in the nursery which are more or less protected often become badly infested
with this species. The species is present in Florida wherever avocadoes
are grown.
Tetranychus yothersi McG.—The Avocado Red Spider Mite. The red
spider mite which attacks the camphor in the northern part of Florida,
seriously attacks the avocado at certain times of the year. This is particu-
larly true during the dry winter months. This mite, when abundant, gives
a grove a very unsightly appearance, by yellowing and browning the foliage.
It is the only red spider mite known to the writer which lives and performs
its depredations on the upper surface of the foliage.
Heliothrips hemorrhoidalis Bouche.—The Greenhouse Thrips. This species,
which is so common in greenhouses in the northern states, attacks the avo-
cado in Florida in the open, and is present in varying numbers throughout
the year. It becomes seriously abundant in places on the approach of dry
weather in the fall and winter, and is capable of doing considerable damage
by causing defoliation. It works on the upper surface of the foliage as does
the avocado red spider mite. It also attacks the fruit when it becomes num-
erous. Like the white fly of the avocado it multiplies more rapidly in the
orchards situated on the keys and beach places in southern Florida.
Chrysomphalus dictyospermi, Morgan.—The Dictyospermum Scale is a
small circular scale of a light brown color. It is particularly abundant on
the avocado in the more protected places, and where the temperatures are
more even. Especially is this true along the ocean shore and keys. It
attacks the branches killing many of the smaller limbs, but when abundant
may often kill the tree.
Saissetia oleae, Bernard.—The Black Scale becomes particularly notice-
able in avocado groves on the keys and ocean front, especially during the
fruit forming period, by congregating in masses about the stems of the
fruits. Here it produces honey dew which accumulates on the fruit in which
the black sooty mold develops necessitating washing of the fruit. Fruits
so attacked by this scale bear weak stems and invariably drop prematurely.
It does not apparently become abundant on the mainland.
Pseudococcus nipae, Mask.—The Cocoanut Mealy Bug becomes noticeable
*Published by permission of the Secretary of Agriculture, U. S. D. A.
46 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
at times on the avocado in certain sections where it has become established.
It attacks the foliage particularly.
Pulvinaria pyriformis, Ckll—The Pyriform Scale. This species, where
present, does considerable damage to the avocado. It is brownish in color,
rounded or ovate in shape, and on maturing, when the egg sacs are pro-
duced, a cottony material pushes out from under the edges of the scale. It
produces an abundance of honey dew for sooty mold to develop. The scale
is prevalent wherever the avocado is grown, especially on seedling trees
growing in neglected yards.
Frankliniella cephalica var. masonii, Watson.—This species of thrips
which is light yellow in color attacks the avocado in the bloom. The writer
has observed that the West Indian varieties growing in groves along the
keys and on the mainland become infested with it. The thrips deposits its
eges in the pedicel of the flower clusters. These punctures at times are very
numerous, depending on the variety of avocado, causing the flower cluster
to drop. The species differs from the citrus thrips in being considerably
‘lighter in color.
Empoasca minuenda, Ball.—The Avocado Leaf Hopper. This leaf hopper
which is exceedingly small and yellowish in color attacks the avocado foliage
by sucking the plant juices. It confines its attacks to the lower surface of
the leaf and causes white spots to appear on the foliage viewed from above.
When very numerous, this species will give an avocado tree a decidedly
whitish appearance. It is particularly abundant on the avocado during the
growing season.
Gracilaria sp. near niolacella Clem.—The Avocado Leaf Roller. This
small greyish moth is present wherever avocadoes are grown. It deposits
its eggs on the new growth. The larvae which hatch from these eggs curl
the foliage on which they feed. The foliage on maturing develops unevenly
giving the tree a decidedly ragged appearance, especially is this true when
this species is abundant. The larvae are small and yellowish in color.
Dysdercus suturellus H. Schf.—The Cotton Stainer. This is one of the
plant bugs and often attacks the fruit of the avocado in considerable num-
bers. The species congregates on the fruit where it injures it by punctur-
ing and sucking the plant juices. The punctures afford entrance places for
plant diseases to enter and develop. It is only in certain years that this
insect appears in the groves.
Acysta perseae Heid.—The Avocado Tingid. This species, which feeds.
upon the juices of the foliage of the avocado, is a small lace bug. The in-
sect causes the leaves to appear yellowish and drop. The species is not
widely distributed, however.
Anomala undulata, Mels——This small beetle, or leaf chafer, visits the
avocado groves in swarms during the blooming period in southern Florida
during certain years. It is nocturnal in its habits, coming out from the
soil at night and devouring the bloom wherever present. Its depredations
last only a week or so, the adults returning to their breeding grounds. It is
not known where they breed. This species is capable of doing considerable
damage.
Caulophilus latinasus.—This small brownish weevil, which resembles the
grain and rice weevils, attacks the seed of the avocado in the orchard in
fallen fruits and wherever seed is stored for planting purposes. The larvae
and weevils completely tunnel the seed rendering them worthless.
WINTER NUMBER 47
Sparganothis (Platynata) sp.—A moth, which is of a light brown color,
deposits its eggs in the avocado blossom cluster. The larvae which hatch
from these eggs in turn tie the blossom cluster together with their webs
to form a nest; the larvae feed on the flower parts. This insect has not
been noticed in large numbers nor is it widely distributed. Wherever they
should become abundant, they would be capable of considerable injury. The
larvae when full grown are about a half inch in length and a dark green
in color.
Lypsimena fuscata, Lec. and EHlaphidion inerme, Newm.—These two
Cerambycid beetles attack the dying or unhealthy branches of the avocado.
This is true especially after a freeze. If the dying branches are allowed
to remain the borers or larvae often burrow down into the healthy tissue
beyond the axis of the branches.
A number of scale insects of minor importance have at times been noticed
on the avocado doing damage to individual trees. Some of these are the
Common Mealy Bug, Pseudococcus citri Risso; Florida Wax Scale, Cero-
plastes floridensis Comst.; Hemispherical Scale, Saissetia hemisphaerica
Targ.; and the European Fiorinia, Fiorinia fioriniae Targ.
BENEFICIAL INSECTS
A number of beneficial insects, either predatory or parasitic on the prev-
iously named injurious insects of the avocado in Florida, are as follows:
Sympiesis dolichagaster, Ashm.—Represents a parasite which keeps the
avocado leaf roller in check to a considerable extent. It is a small greenish
colored hymenopterous insect.
Chrysopa lateralis, Guer.—This lace wing fly is present on the avocado in
considerable numbers at the time the avocado red spider mite is present in
abundance. The larvae of this species carry with them a protective covering
of small particles which is characteristic of some lace wing flies. The larvae
devour large numbers of the red spider mites.
Franklinothrips vespiformis, Crawford.—This is a large species of thrips.
It is black with a whitish band and is very active on the foliage when dis-
turbed. It is present in large numbers on the avocado in the late winter or
early summer. The larvae and adults of this thrips destroy large numbers
of all stages of the avocado red spider mite. The adults resemble ants on
the foliage. It is also predatory on the larvae of Heliothrips hemorrhodalis
Bouche’ and the nymphal stages of Hmpoasca minuenda Ball. It attacks
the avocado white fly, Trialeurodes floridensis Q., in the larval and pupal
stages as well as the egg stage. This thrips is peculiar in its habits in that
it spins a cocoon, on the lower surface of the leaf, in which the larva pupates.
The larvae are a deep red in color also possessing a whitish band on the body.
Scymnus utilis, Horn.—This insect is commonly found among the red
spider mite colonies on the avocado. It is a small lady bird beetle about the
size of a pin head, black in color. With the beetles may be found their dark
brown larvae, also feeding on all stages of the red spider mite. This species
is very beneficial.
Scymnus kinzeli, Casey —Another lady bird beetle. It is larger than the
former and is bicolored, abdomen black and head reddish. It is never abund-
ant, however.
Leptothrips mali, Hinds.—This is a large black thrips and is very active
on the foliage. When disturbed it elevates its body as if going to sting.
48 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
It is not abundant, and is found predatory in both the larval and adult stage
on the avocado red spider mite.
Prospaltella sp—This species is a small hymenopterous parasite, fre-
quently bred from the pupal and larval stages of the avocado white fly,
Trialeurodes floridensis Q.
Cryptognatha (Delphastus) pallida, Lec.—This a small lady bird beetle,
light brown in color and about the size of a pin head. It is one of the
Secymnus group. The larvae are whitish in color. Both the larvae and adults
are very beneficial, being predatory upon the avocado white fly in the larval
and pupal stages.
Scolothrips sexmaculatus, Pergande.—This thrips, which is light in color,
possesses six spots on the abdomen. It was not found by the writer to be
abundant and feeds when present in both the larval and adult stages on all
stages of the avocado red spider mite, Tetranychus yothersi, McG.
Aspidiotiphagus citrinus, Craw.—A hymenopterous parasite found to be
destroying considerable numbers of the dictyospermum scale, Chrysomphalus
dictyospermi, M.
MOSQUITOES FOUND ABOUT GAINESVILLE, FLA.
(Continued from page 43)
Baume, oil in some pool and creek beds that could not be readily
drained, with good success. He found this to be efficient for
from one to four weeks, depending upon the nature of the pond
and the exposure to the wind. To be on the safe side, the pond
should usually be oiled every two weeks. He used a barrel spray
pump in the accessible places and a knapsack pump in the others
to good advantage, but it may be simply poured on from a sprink-
ler or applied from a bucket with a mop. In inaccessible swamps,
it is sometimes applied by standing a barrel on end and boring a
small hole near the bottom so there will be a constant drip.
In the Panama Canal work there was considerable difficulty
in getting the oil to completely cover the surface when the vegeta-
tion was thick. There they found a solution made from one hun-
dred and fifty pounds of sulphuric acid, one hundred and fifty
pounds of powdered resin, and thirty pounds of caustic potash
boiled together made a good larvaecide (Gorgas 1909), which,
in some cases, was more effective than fuel oil.
A pool on the campus between Buckman and Science Halls, and
the septic tank back of Thomas Hall, have been treated with
“Zenoleum” disinfectant twice. This forms a milky mixture
with the water and kills the larvae in a short time. Both pupae
and larvae were found alive four hours after application, but all
were dead next morning. No record was obtained of how much
was applied, but enough to make the water appear decidedly
milky. It was found to prevent egg laying for about twelve days,
and should be applied about every two weeks.
WINTER NUMBER 49
Ordinary kerosene is commonly used when only small areas
are to be oiled. It is more expensive than crude oil and not any
more effective.
Any system of oiling has to be done every few weeks during
the year, which in the long run, proves expensive. It is cheaper
after all to drain the breeding places, as they then require very
little attention.
Drainage
Drainage has become more popular in recent years and large
areas, that it would have been thought foolish to attempt to
drain a few years ago, have been successfully drained. Perhaps
the most extensive work has been done in the New Jersey salt
marshes by Dr. J. B. Smith (Smith 1901-1911). Salt marsh
mosquitoes are long distance fiyers (forty miles in some cases)
and large areas had to be drained to control them. Something
of the magnitude of the work in general is gathered from the
following figures. Up to 1911, about thirty thousand acres had
been drained and nearly four million feet of ditches dug at a cost
of about $75,000 (Smith 1911). Wherever this work has been
done, the mosquitoes are practically eliminated and it has proved
successful in every way. This work has been accompanied by
considerable oiling, as is usually the case, to give immediate re-
lief, and in some places where it was not practicable to drain.
Numerous other cases of the eradication of these pests and
the diseases they carry, by these remedial measures are on record.
Prior to 1905, a house to house inspection showed that twenty
per cent of the population in some parts of Staten Island were
suffering from malaria. Anti-malaria work was undertaken,
and in 1909 there were only five cases of malaria reported (How-
ard 1910). Dr. E. P. Felt (1905) states that Lawrence, Long
Island, has been freed from the salt marsh mosquitoes. H. J.
Quayle (1906) reports some very satisfactory work against the
salt marsh mosquito near San Francisco. The Lawrence, L. L.,
Board of Health (1903) has done good work which has rid their
town. Havana, Cuba, has been cleared of yellow fever and made
habitable by anti-mosquito work done under direction of the
United States Medical Army Corps. The epidemic of yellow
fever in New Orleans, in 1905, was stamped out by clearing the
city of mosquitoes. Some of the most successful, as well as the
most difficult anti-malarial work, has been done in the Panama
Canal Zone. Under the French administration this was a veri-
table death trap. The tales told of the deaths are almost unbe-
50 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
lievable; in fact it was difficult to keep enough men there to keep
records. When the Americans took charge, the first thing done
was to organize a Department of Sanitation to clear the zone of
mosquitoes and fever. This has been so successful that it is now
considered a health resort. Their hospital reports show (Gorgas
1913) that their monthly average of cases sent to the hospital
for malaria was only ninety-two hundredths of one per cent of
the entire force, while similar records at the University show
ten per cent.
These facts leave us no room for doubt as to the efficiency of
these methods. If Staten Island and Long Island, surrounded by
water; if New Jersey with her thousands of acres of marsh and
mosquitoes flying forty miles, and Panama with her tropical
rains and with excavations made by buildings, can be freed from
mosquitoes and malaria, why cannot most towns in Florida?
They can.
STRATEGUS WANTED—Am making a special study of this
genus, of the Scarabeidae, and should be very glad to receive
Florida specimens, especially of the rarer species. Will ex-
change or pay cash. Address W. Knaus, McPherson, Kansas.
“TESTED SEEDS FOR FLORIDA”
SEEDS FOR
FARM AND GARDEN
INSECTICIDES,
FUNGICIDES,
DISINFECTANTS
Send for our Catalog.
MANN-HODGE SEED CO.
PALATKA, FLA.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
“CYANEGG”
SODIUM CYANIDE 96-98 %—Cyanogen 51-52%—In EGG
SHAPE. Each egg weighs approximately one ounce.
The most effective FUMIGATING MATERIAL to destroy
Scale Insects on CITRUS TREES, Nursery Stock and plants
of all kinds. In CALIFORNIA the majority of orange
growers have been using “CYANEGG” for Fumigation for
many years with excellent results.
"CYANOGRAN”
SODIUM CYANIDE 96-98%—Cyanogen 51-52%.
In GRANULAR FORM.
An ideal material for SOIL STERILIZATION against
ROOT KNOT
Manufactured in U. S. A. by the
ROESSLER & HASSLACHER CHEMICAL CO.
100 William Street NEW YORK, N. Y.
Factory: PERTH AMBOY, N. J.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
Now is the time to spray trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. We handle the
DRY LIME SULPHUR
It saves freight on water and expense of handling. Ship-
ped in air-tight packages with removable top. Will keep
indefinitely if top is replaced after using. Dissolves readily
in any water. Add Dry Lime Sulphur to water and stir.
Five pounds to one hundred gallons water for rust mite,
equivalent to two gallons 33° Lime Sulphur Solution to
one hundred gallons of water. Prices range from 101% to
25c per pound according to quantity order.
Arsenate of Lead Carbolic Acid, Crude
Bluestone Copperas
Bordeaux Mixture Fish Oil Soap
Genuine Protexol Soluble Sulphur Cornpound
Caustic Soda Sulphur Flowers, etc.
Schnarr’s Spray Formula Target Brand White Fly De-
stroyer.
Fresh stock of goods always on hand.
IN OUR SPRAYING DEPARTMENT
we carry only the best and most reliable, such as Leggett’s
Champion Duster, Lowell Compressed Air Sprayers and
Gould Sprayers. Write for booklet and prices.
E. 0. PAINTER FERTILIZER CO., Jacksonville, Fla.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Time
Pepper Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
WANTED—Diurnal Lepidoptera of Florida in exchange for
desirable western species. Over 3000 butterflies on hand for
exchanges. Dr. John A. Comstock, Southwest Museum, Los
Angeles, Calif.
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
Chrysopidae (Lace-winged-flies). All stages desired, especially
material for biological studies. Will determine specimens. Dr.
Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottesville, Va.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Buggist
ohe
Florida Bugsgist
Official ae of vale Jase mae isarecaet
VOL. tT SPRING NUMBER NO. 4
MARCH, 1920
(Printed in April)
*MOSQUITOES FOUND ABOUT GAINESVILLE, FLA.
By U. C. LOFTIN
PART IJ.—TRAPS FOR MOSQUITOES
During the fall and winter of 1912-1913, the writer, at the
suggestion of Dr. E. W. Berger,** conducted some experi-
ments with traps for adult mosquitoes. These experiments
have been recorded in an unpublished thesis, submitted at the
University of Florida. The principle results are summarized
here. The traps (simplified forms of the one used by Lefroy)
were vessels and boxes, dark inside and of several sizes and
shapes, placed where the mosquitoes would be likely to use
them for hiding places in the early morning. A successful
style was a plain earthenware jar, or crock, such as is often
used for churns, six to eight inches in diameter, sixteen to
eighteen inches high, dark chocolate to black inside (Fig. 27).
*Third and final consecutive installment of Mr. Loftin’s paper.
**Dr. Berger first used the traps during June and part of July, and then placed
his records at the writer’s disposal.
The Kny-Scheerer Corporation
Department of Natural Science
404-410 W. 27th Street, New York, N. Y.
Entomological Supplies of Every Description
We buy and sell rare insects. Illustrated catalogue on request.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Buggist.
Please mention Buggist when you write our advertisers.
54 THE FLORIDA BUGGIST
Another type that gave good results was wooden boxes, seven
by seven inches square by thirteen inches deep, painted black
or dark green inside, or lined with black or dark green cloth.
A joint of six-inch stovepipe was also used with good results.
Other sizes, shapes and colors of crocks and boxes were used,
but it was found that the traps of small diameter and a depth
of twice the diameter gave the largest catches. No noticeable
difference was found between the black and the dark green
cloth, but the cloth lined boxes gave slightly better results than
the painted ones. It is well known that mosquitoes seek a
dark place in which to hide during the day and anything that
furnishes this condition and is nearly air-tight so that they
can be easily killed with a fumigant can be successfully used.
Mosquitoes, in common with living things in general, are
positively phototactic up to a certain degree of light intensity,
and negatively so after this is exceeded. With mosquitoes this
optimum, or turning point, is commonly met a little before
sunrise. it
The traps were placed in various positions and kept un-
covered during the night. They were covered from 7:00 to
7:30 in the morning, before the direct rays of the sun reached
them. 2, 43: 3, 53; 4, 51; 5, 45; 6, 48; 7, 40; 8, 28 microns:
; (Continued on page 27)
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
‘PROFESSOR 3° R: WATSON 222... eee Editor
ORS Wi AMIONE LING WH eee ce ee ee Associate Editor
DREW. BERGER 22s 2. fea ee ee eee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
MOSQUITOES
THE ENTOMOLOGIST is receiving many complimentary letters
on the article by Dr. Hodge in the last number. The awakening
interest in this most important matter of reducing the mosquito
fauna of our state is indeed encouraging.
In this connection the Jacksonville Times-Union of Sept. 12
has an interesting article on the campaign now being waged to
make the city of Perry an example and an object lesson for the
other cities of the state.
Last month the editor spent an all too brief vacation in one of
our beach resorts. We enjoyed the days hugely; the fish bit
well and the surf was fine. But the nights! Well, it was nec-
essary, soon after sunset, to beat an inglorious retreat to the
shelter of our rooms and stay there. The half hour before retiring
was dedicated to mosquito swatting and it was frequently nec-
essary to repeat the operation between 12 N. and 2 A. M. How-
much more attractive would be our resorts would they but spend
a few thousand dollars in cleaning up the local breeding places of
mosquitoes.
At the “city limits” of many of our towns we see a sign ‘“Wel-
come to Our City’. It tickles our vanity to feel that the resi-
dents think enough of us to erect those signs. But, unfortunate-
ly, in many towns the culicidae extend an even more hearty wel-
come, including a reception committee of “prominent citizens”
to meet us the second our car stops.
Now in all this we are not “knocking” Florida but endeavor-
ing to do a little missionary work. If the mosquito were a nec-
essary evil we would be like the “man convinced (by his wife)
against his will’, who was “of the same opinion still’”— (mighty
(24)
FALL NUMBER 2D
still). But the problem in most Florida towns is so simple and
so cheap compared with the interests involved that we feel that
it is the one largest opportunity for real service to the state now
before us. The mosquito is the most powerful ‘“‘knocker’ we
have. Culicid delendus est.
Many of our boards of trade etc. are spending hundreds or
even thousands of dollars and much nerve energy in advertising
their towns. How would it do to spend at least a part of that
money in eradicating mosquitoes and let every delighted tourist
and traveling man advertise our town gratis, especially if we are
going to inaugurate a movement to open the tourist season on
Oct. 1, the very date when mosquitoes are at their maximum
abundance ?
In the review of Applied Entomology (London, Eng.) Vol.
Mile sen. Bb. Part & p. 141, occurs an abstract of a paper
by E. Roubaud on the feeding habits of Anopheles in France
The author states that the malaria mosquito much prefers the
bloed of cattle, horses and mules to that of man and that malaria
is on the decrease in those regions where cattle are numerous.
He thinks, however, that this is a recently acquired habit of the
mosquitoes. Some observations along this line in Florida would
be interesting. In any event there is no doubt but that if our
farmers would keep their horses and mules in a tightly screened
barn at night and install one of Hodge’s traps in the windows,
they could greatly reduce the numbers of mosquitoes about the
premises ; particularly if the house also was well screened.
THE TOILET OF THRIPS
There is at least one thing quite humanly feminine about a
thrips. Her chief concern is for her hairs. When she has noth-
ing else to do, and frequently when to our masculine minds she
has many more important duties, she nevertheless elaborately
brushes and smooths her hairs. There are some minor peculiar-
ities of behavior necessitated by her anatomical plan. The more
important hairs are on her wings instead of her head and she
uses mostly her hind feet for a comb.
Invariably before she can start on a journey or drop in in her
neighbor she must comb her hairs. Even in the face of grave dan-
ger, as the approach of the collector’s needle, she cannot take
flight until she has combed her hairs. Combed she must be even
tho the delay proves fatal.
26 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
The camphor thrips especially spends a goodly part of her
time in—combing her hairs. Even while she sucks the life sap
of a camphor twig her hind legs are busy—combing her hairs.
Having drunk her fill she retires to a shady, secluded nook and,
resting on her four fore legs, doubles her hind ones over her
back and—combs her hair. Watch her under a glass until your
patience is exhausted—she continues to comb her hairs. Go
back hours later—she is still combing her hairs. The
wingless young show none of this concern for their hairs, but
the first act of the adult is to comb her newly acquired wings.
Collect one in a bottle and almost before you can insert the cork
—she is combing her mussed hairs. If caught in a shower her
first act after the rain has ceased is—to comb her hairs. Injure
one mortally and with her last mite of strength she—combs
her hairs.
PERSONALS
Several of our out of town members were in attendance upon
the meeting of the County Agents in Gainesville during the week
of September 6-11.
The work on the Camphor Thrips carried on by the U. S. Bur.
of Ent. is now in charge of Mr. W. W. Yothers.
Mr. M. Marcellus Javens of Mt. Dora is suffering from an in-
jury to his éye.
The county commissioners of Brevard and Polk Counties have
recently given Mr. K. E. Bragdon and Wm. Gomme respectively
very substantial evidence of their appreciation of their ef-
forts as county agents.
Dr. E. W. Berger has returned from his annual visit in Ohio.
Australian lady bird beetles please take notice.
Mr. A. C. Brown, Asst. Quarantine Inspector of the Plant
Board at Miami, recently spent a few days at Gainesville.
Mr. W. L. Benedict has accepted a position with the Bureau
of Plant Industry and has been assigned to citrus inspection work
in California.
Mr. B. L. Boyden recently visited the Plant Board afices at
Gainesville for conference regarding the sweet potato weevil
eradication work.
Mr. Fritz Fuchs has recently disposed of his grove property
in south Dade County and has removed to Miami.
FALL NUMBER Zit
Mr. B. F. Floyd, with the Wilson & Toomer Fertilizer Co.,
now has headquarters in Orlando with office in the San Juan
Hotel.
Mr. J. C. Goodwin has taken a year’s leave of absence from
his duties as Chief Clerk for the State Plant Board and will pur-
sue advanced studies during the year at the Iowa Agricultural
College.
Mr. J. E. Graf has recently been investigating the bean lady-
bird beetle outbreak for the Bureau of Entomology in the vicin-
ity of Birmingham, Ala.
Messrs. Wilmon Newell, J. H. Montgomery, Frank Stirling
ena C. E. Whittington attended the “black fly conference” at
Orlando on September 9th.
Mr. Jas. Kerr, Asst. Nursery Inspector for the State Plant
Board, is now in charge of the northern nursery inspection dis-
trict, extending from Jacksonville to Pensacola.
Mr. Jas. F. Marsh is now in charge of the citrus grove inspec-
tion work in the vicinity of Ft. Myers, having succeeded Mr.
Wm. L. Benedict.
Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Reese are the proud parents of a handsome
baby daughter. Chas. “did the right thing” by the office force.
Mr. W. W. Yothers was among those attending the citrus
growers conference at Orlando on September 9th.
Professor P. H. Rolfs, Director Florida Experiment Station,
has recently visited Washington, D. C., on official business.
Dr. J. H. Montgomery represented the Plant Board. at a Con-
ference at Birmingham, Ala., of the Southern States Entomol-
ogists on September 20. This conference was called on account
of the recent appearance of the Western Bean Ladybeetle (E'pz-
lancha corrupta Muls) in Alabama.
Mr. €. M. Hunt has built a house at Lake Wales. Mr.
Hunt is now manager of a grove property at this place, having
severed his connections with the Plant Board.
NEW THYSANOPTERA FROM FLORIDA—VII
(Continued from page 23)
Head longer than broad, cheeks slightly arched, roughened, slightly con-
verging posteriorly. Post-ocular bristles thick but light colored, with a large
transparent head. Hyes rather small, occupying about a third of the length
of the head and a little more than half the breadth, deep red by reflected
light. Ocelli large, concolorous with the eyes, situated far forward; pos-
28 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
terior pair opposite the anterior third of the eyes and touching their mar-
gins. Mouth cone short and very bluntly rounded, scarcely reaching the
middle of the prosternum, slightly swollen at the base. Antennae twice as
long as the head. Segments 1 and 5-8 dark, concolorous with the head; 2
and 4 lighter brown; 3 yellow, clear at the apex. No sense cones on the in-
ner surface of segment 3, those on 4, 5 and 6 thick but colorless. Bristles
light colored and short.
Prothorax about as long as the head, sides conspicuously bulging across
the coxae where they bear each a heavy, knobbed, but light-colored bristle;
posterior angles much contracted, each bearing a similar bristle.
Pterothorax subrectangular, sides straight and nearly parallel. Legs
rather long and slender. Femora dark brown, concolorous with the body.
All tarsi and tibiae light brownish yellow, the latter shaded with brown on
the outer surface. Fore femora considerably enlarged. Fore tarsi with
a strong curved tooth and a smaller straight one. Wings well developed
but not reaching the tip of the abdomen. Membrane clear in distal half
but the proximal half of fore wing clouded with brownish gray. Fore wing
much contracted in the middle, destitute of prominent veins or bristles;
fringing hairs numerous and fairly long, 4 or 5 interlocated ones.
Abdomen rather long, sub-cylindrical, conspicuous bristles on only the
last two segments but a few of these are quite long, light brown.
Described from two specimens; one obtained from sweeping vegetation
including scrub oak at Daytona Beach Aug. 1919, and another from beating
Basswood foliage Tilia americana at Gainesville, May 1920.
Male similar to the female but the fore femora more enlarged and the
tarsal spine larger.
Described from a single specimen collected from underneath the bark of
an oak tree (Quercus falcata) at Orlando Oct. 1919. Stated by Mr. Funk
of the U. S. Drug Garden who called our attention to this insect, to have
been abundant on the oaks in the spring.
66. Haplothrips querci, n. sp.
* General color grayish brown with a little red and purple hypodermal
pigment. Fore femora and tarsi lighter.
Measurements: Total body length 1.17 mm.; head, length 0.19 mm.; width
0.17 mm.; prothorax, length 0.20, width including coxae 0.288; mesothorax,
width 0.37 mm.; abdomen, width 0.24. mm. Antennae, segment, 1, 32; 2,
42; 3, 40; 4, 48; 5, 48; 6, 37; 7, 37; 8, 27 microns.
Head 1.1 times longer than broad, sides slightly bulging, parallel or
slightly converging posteriorly, sparsely pilose, post-ocular bristle short and
pointed, not reaching the middle of the eye. Hyes moderately large, occupy-
ing .4 the length and .7 the width of the head. Ocelli large, posterior pair
set in front of the middle of the eyes and touching their margins. Mouth
cone evenly and bluntly rounded, reaching a little past the middle of the
prosternum. Antennae 1.5 times as long as the head; almost uniformly
grayish brown, segment 2 a little darker and segment 3 a little lighter than
the others; sense cones and bristles pale and inconspicuous.
Prothorax shorter than the head, nearly 1.5 times as wide as long, trap-
ezoidal in outline; posterior angles well rounded and each bearing a pair of
heavy but rather short, colorless bristles which are blunt at the end.
FALL NUMBER 29
Pterothorax sub-rectangular in outline, sides converging slightly pos-
teriorly. Legs moderately long; except the tarsi and fore tibiae which are
lighter brown, concolourous with the body. Fore femora slightly enlarged.
Fore tarsi with a small spine.
Wings well developed. Membrane clear except for a small area at the
base and the scale of the fore wing which are clouded with brown. Fore
wing noticeably contracted in the middle; fringing hairs long, 6 or 7 inter-
located ones.
Abdomen quite short. The sides of each segment about parallel but ab-
ruptly contracted at the point of contact with the next. Bristles rather
short, tube small, terminal bristles short.
Male similar but fore femora much enlarged and fore tarsal spine robust.
Sides of the head converging posteriorly. Eyes larger.
Described from a single female and two males beaten from scrub oak at
Daytona Beach, Fla., Aug. 1919. Type in the author’s collection. Very
close to H. Graminis but the color is less yellowish brown and the inter-
mediate antennal segments are more elongated, especially the third. There
is a sense cone on the inner surface of the segment 3 but it is thin
and inconspicuous. The most noticeable difference is in the shape of the ab-
domen which is much shorter than in H. graminis.
67. Heliothrips fasciatus.
A single specimen of this species, which is very abundant in California
where it is called the “Bean Thrips” because of its ravages on cultivated
beans, was collected from Cassia at Seabreeze, Fla., Aug. 1919. This was
far from any cultivated land and there can be no doubt that it is a native
insect. This is the second report of its presence in the East, Mr. Mor-
gan having collected it in Tenn.
68. Heterothrips tiliae, n. sp.
-?, General body color dark brown, intermediate antennal segments,
tarsi, tips of all tibiae and entire fore tibiae brownish yellow.
Measurements: Total body length 0.75 mm. Head, length 0.07 mm.;
breadth 0.13 mm.; prothorax, length 0.08, width 0.19 mm.; mesthorax, width
0.23 mm; abdomen greatest width 0.24 mm.; antennae, total length 0.19.
Segment 1 (exposed portion) 9.5; 2, 28; 3, 48; 4, 38; 5, 29; 6, 26; 7, 11;
8, 12; 9, 10 microns.
Head about twice as wide as long, broadest behind the eyes; entire dorsal
surface conspicuously transversely striate; cheeks bearing several short but
stout hairs; frons deeply emarginate at the base of each antenna. Hyes
black, prominent, projecting; hairs between the facets conspicuous, fully
as large as those on the cheeks. Ocelli large, yellow, prominent. Posterior
pair contiguous with the posterior inner angles of the eyes; flattened on
the side next to the eye. Anterior facing forward. Mouth cone reaching
nearly across the prosternum. Antennae almost three times as long as the
exposed portion of the head; 9-segmented; segment 1 cup shaped, 2 and 6
barrel shaped, 3 urn shaped, 4, oblong, 5 ovoid, 8and 9 conical; 1, 2 and 6
to 9 dark brown, 3 to 5 brownish yellow; 3 nearly colorless at the base,
4 shaded with brown on apical half; 3 with two deep constrictions near
the base and many shallow ones above. Bristles and sense cones short and
very inconspicuous, nearly colorless except those on segment 2 which are
larger and brown; segments closely united, articulations brown.
30 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Prothorax considerably longer than the head, twice as wide as long, sides
arched and strongly diverging posteriorly; dorsal surface transversely
striated; two or three short, curved spines at each anterior angle; and a
heavy, dark but short one at each posterior angle directed backward. Legs
brown except the tarsi, distal ends of the hind and mid tibiae and the entire |
fore tibiae which are brownish yellow; surface marked with diagonal stri-
ations.
Mesothorax wider than either the prothorax or the metathorax; anterior
portion of dorsal surface transversely striated, middle longitudinally -stri-
ated. Wings considerably longer than the abdomen, membrane brown, cov-
ered with minute hairs, abruptly widened at the base, costal margin sparse-
ly fringed with long hairs and bearing about 28 stout bristles, fore vein
bearing about 14 and hind vein about 19.
Abdomen oval in outline, last segment markedly narrow and elongated,
tubular. Bristles very short, those of the last two segments longer but still
unusually short.
Male. Considerably smaller. Body length 0.50 mm. Head 0.047 mm.
long and 0.14 mm. wide; prothorax, length 0.095 mm., breadth 0.18 mm.;
mesothorax, greatest width 0.2 mm.; abdomen 0.14 mm. Antennae, seg-
ment 1,10; 2; 28; 3, 50; 4, 36; 5, 30:6, 27; 7, 125 8°14:09) 1 microns:
Striations on the head and prothorax are less marked. Abdomen very
small, scarcely twice as long as wide. Wings much exceeding the abdomen.
Described from a singe female and a single male collected from Bass-
wood (Tilia americanna) at Gainesville, Fla., May.
This species is very close to Heterothrips vitis Hood but is smaller, lacks
any suggestion of orange on the third antennal segment which is much
shorter as is also the prothorax, and the forth antennal segment is also
yellow. Type in the author’s collection.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Time
Pepper Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
Chrysopidae (Lace-winged-flies). All stages desired, especially
material for biological studies. Will determine specimens. Dr.
Roger C. Smith, U. S. Ent. Lab., Charlottesville, Va.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Entomologist
“CYANEGG”
SODIUM CYANIDE 96-98 %—Cyanogen 51-52%—In EGG
SHAPE. Each egg weighs approximately one ounce.
The most effective FUMIGATING MATERIAL to destroy
Seale Insects on CITRUS TREES, Nursery Stock and plants
of all kinds. In CALIFORNIA the majority of orange
growers have been using “CYANEGG” for Fumigation for
many years with excellent results.
“CYANOGRAN”
SODIUM CYANIDE 96-98%—Cyanogen 51-52%.
In GRANULAR FORM.
An ideal material for SOIL STERILIZATION against
ROOT KNOT
Manufactured in U. S. A. by the
ROESSLER & HASSLACHER CHEMICAL CO,
100 William Street NEW YORK, N. Y.
Factory: PERTH AMBOY, N. J.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Entomologist
Now is the time to spray trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. We handle the
DRY LIME SULPHUR
It saves freight on water and expense of handling. Ship-
ped in air-tight packages with removable top. Will keep
indefinitely if top is replaced after using. Dissolves readily
in any water. Add Dry Lime Sulphur to water and stir.
Five pounds to one hundred gallons water for rust mite,
equivalent to two gallons 33° Lime Sulphur Solution to
one hundred gallons of water. Prices range from 1014 to
25c per pound according to quantity order.
Arsenate of Lead Carbolic Acid, Crude
Bluestone Copperas
Bordeaux Mixture Fish Oil Soap
Genuine Protexol Soluble Sulphur Compound
Caustic Soda Sulphur Flowers, ete.
Schnarr’s Spray Formula Target Brand White Fly De-
stroyer.
Fresh stock of goods always on hand.
IN OUR SPRAYING DEPARTMENT
we carry only the best and most reliable, such as Leggett’s
Champion Duster, Lowell Compressed Air Sprayers and
Gould Sprayers. Write for booklet and prices.
E, 0. PAINTER FERTILIZER CO., Jacksonville, Fla.
“TESTED SEEDS FOR FLORIDA”
SEEDS FOR
FARM AND GARDEN
INSECTICIDES,
FUNGICIDES,
DISINFECTANTS
Send for our Catalog.
MANN-HODGE SEED CO.
PALATKA, FLA.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Entomologist
; ohe 29 19
Florida Entomologist
(Formerly The Florida Buggist)
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VoL. IV WINTER NUMBER No. 3
JANUARY, 1921
NOTES ON SOME FLORIDA WEEVILS
A small collection of Rhyncophora recently identified for the
Department of Entomology of the Experiment Station by Mr.
W.S. Blatchley supplies two new records for Florida and some
new data on distribution within the state, on dates of appear-
ance, and food habits. Most of the systematic collecting in the
state has been done during the winter so that summer records
are rather valuable. The numbers in parenthesis are those in
Blatchley’s and Leng’s “Rhyncophora of N. E. America.”
(34) Avraeocerus fasciculatus DeG. The Coffee-Bean Weevil.
Taken from a frosted avocado tree near Tampa; and on the calyx
of a Japanese persimmon from which the fruit had _ fallen,
Gainesville, May. Probably not the cause of the dropping of the
persimmon. This insect feeds on dried seeds and evidently also
on diseased and dying tissue. It is a serious pest of coffee in
some parts of the West Indies. It is said to have originated in
India but is now apparently thoroly established in Florida.
(127) Epicaerus formidulosus Boh. This is a very common
weevil and one of considerable economic importance. It is com-
mon on cotton plants and has been mistaken for the boll weevil
by a great many farmers, in spite of its larger size and spotted
color pattern. It is sometimes very destructive to young pepper
plants, which it punctures at or a quarter inch below the surface
of the ground. In Nov. 1919 it “ruined a field of peas” at
Leesburg. In Bul. 67, U. S. Bur. Ent., it is said to injure young
tobacco plants. We have taken it also on velvet beans, Ironweed
(Vernonia), yellow jasmine, goldenrod and several other com-
positae, and during every month from April to November. Evi-
dently a quite general feeder. We have no winter records.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Ento-
mologist. Please mention Entomologist when you write our
advertisers.
34 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
°(153) Tanymecus lacaena Hbst. Captured in Gainesville,
eating the leaves of Baccharis.
(177) Hudiogogus rosenschoeldi Fabr. was collected in Oc-
tober near Tampa by Mr. U. C. Zeluff, who writes: ‘On oak
trees some of which were very heavily infested.” This is the
first record of this large handsome weevil from Florida. It also
establishes a new host plant.
(217) Hyperodes cryptops Dietz. Gainesville, April 21. At
“lizard’s tail” (Saururus cernuus) in bloom. Said to be scarce.
(258) Derelomus basalis Lec. Said by Blatchley and Leng
to be especially abundant on the dwarf papaw (Asimina parvi-
flora). We have taken it at Gainesville on wild plum in Feb.,
on velvet beans in July, and on blossoms of the button-bush
(Cephalanthus).
(411) Tachypterus quadrigibbus Say. The Apple Curculio.
Branford, Fla., on cotton, a new host.
(434) Anthonomus signatus Say. This is the Strawberry
Weevil which is quite a pest in some of the more northern states.
It lays its eggs in the buds and then cuts the stem so that the
bud withers and dies. It does not seem to attack strawberries
in Florida but is abundant in the blossoms of the wild haw
(Crataegus) in March.
(549) Baris splendens Casey. Reported only from thistle
Feb.-April. We have taken it on thistle on Jan. 19, and on
goldenrod, Grindelia, ironweed (Vernonia) and other compo-
sites, July-Sept. All records are from the heads of composites,
evidently its preferred hosts.
(560) Aulobaris ibis Lec. On dog fennell and bee-balm
(Monarda), abundant in October. But also from “mayweed”
and ironweed on July 4. All previous Florida records are in
the fall.
(575) Centrinus modestus Boh. On goldenrod in Sept.
(577) Centrinus albotectus Casey. Said to be “scarce” at
Sanford in April but abundant here during April and May on
goldenrod, flebane daisy, lizard’s tail, blackberry and haw blos-
soms. Evidently a spring insect only with us, but reported in
July in New Jersey.
(579) Centrinus perscillus Gyll. Schon. Campville, Fla.,
“Feeding on Cotton”; Sanford Aug. 3, 1918, on Cassia sp.
(584) Odontocorynus scutellum-album Say. Common at
Gainesville, on various composites as are most other records.
Evidently a weevil of compositae.
|
'
|
|
WINTER NUMBER 35
(586) O. selebrosus Casey. On cotton, a new host plant. ©
(671) Auleutes cruralis Lec. Taken in a damp meadow
along Hog Town Creek near Gainesville. Apparently the first
record from Florida.
(748) Conotrachelus coronatus Lec. Collected in the same
locality as the last. Described from Enterprise, Fla., and here-
tofore known only from there and Vero.
(760) Chalcodermus collaris Horn. Taken from corn at
Gainesville by H. L. Dozier Aug. 16, 1916, and on cotton at
Branford, Fla., by Mr. J. F. L. Lindsey. Both of these are new
hosts. This species looks like its near relative, the cowpea
pod-weevil, but the surface of the thorax is covered with a net-
work of ridges instead of sunken dots.
J. R. WATSON. |
NEW THYSANOPTERA FROM FLORIDA—VIII
J. R. WATSON
(Continued from page 30)
KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF HETEROTHRIPS
1. Antennae with ten segments.......................--------- H. decacornis Crawford.
II. Antennae with nine segments. |
a. Without circles of distal sensoria on antennal segment 4.
H. salicis Shull.
aa. Segment 4 of antennae with distal circles of sensoria.
b. At least part of the abdominal tergites bordered with scales
with fringed margins.
ec. Abdomen not pubescent.
d. Prothorax twice as long as the head. U. S.
H. arisaemae Hood.
dd. Prothorax not twice as long as head. W. I.
H. borinquen Hood.
cc. Abdomen more or less pubescent.
d. Abdomen sparsely pubescent.
e. Whole antennae more or less yellow. Panama.
H. flavicornis Hood.
ee. Only segment 3 always yellow........... H. lyoniae Hood.
dd. Abdomen more densely pubescent.
e. Prothorax sculptured with anastomoxing lines. West-
(Shed foe ee ee See ENE er Be H. pectinifer Hood.
ee. Prothorax free of sculpture except for a few lines.
(H. azaliae Hood) H. aesculi Watson.
bb. Abdominal tergites fringed posteriorly with hairs which are
not at all coalesced into scales. Abdomen closely pubescent.
36 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
ce. Third antennal segment 3.6 times as long as wide.
H. analis Hood.
ec. Antennal segment 3 less than 3 times as long as wide.
d. Length 1.00 mm.; antennal segment 3 61 microns long,
ORANG eR bINibe ee eevee eee sates eee H. vitis Hood.
dd. Length .75 mm.; antennal segment 3 48 microns long,
NOVOTANG Che ee ee ne H. tiliae n. sp.
69. Euthrips grandioculus, n. sp.
Color almost uniformly brown; tibiae and tarsi lighter brown; posterior
segments of the abdomen darker.
Average measurements: Total body length 1.32 mm. Head, length .122,
width .133 mm.; prothorax, length .13, width .145 mm.; mesothorax, width
.20 mm.; metathorax, width .17 mm.; abdomen, width .20 mm. Antennae,
total length .20 mm.
Segment 1 2 5 | 4 5 6 i 8 9
Length “722 21 31 Oo) |) ot 34 33 aBl 8 | 12 microns
Width: =" | 28 24 1s bee ef 16 uy Jia 5 4 microns
Head wider than long, rounded in front, cheeks slightly arched, dorsal
surface coursely reticulated posteriorly, spines short and inconspicuous.
Eyes large, protruding, occupying half the length of the head and two thirds
the width. Ocelli sub-approximate, large, bordered with deep orange cres-
eents. Mouth-cone long, reaching nearly across the prosternum, rather
blunt at the very tip which is nearly black. Antennae about 1.6 times as
long as the head, apparently 9-segmented thru an oblique division of seg-
ment 6; Segments 1 and 2 concolorous with the head, 3-5 brownish yellow,
6-9 lighter brown; sense cones rather thick and long but colorless and de-
cidedly inconspicuous.
Prothorax quite square in outline, but little wider than the head and
nearly as long as wide. No prominent spines. Mesothorax wider than the
prothorax; fore angles rounded; sides quite strongly arched. Metathorax
considerably narrower than the mesothorax; sides nearly straight and
parallel. Legs rather short. Stout spines on the inner side of hind tibiae.
Black spot at tip of tarsi less conspicuous than in EF. obscurus. Wings
rather short, membranes of the fore pair brown; veins quite prominent,
each one bearing 8 stout bristles. Hind wings nearly clear.
Abdomen quite long, cylindrical. Conspicuous bristles on the last two
segments only.
Described from five females collected from grass at Moore Haven, Fla.,
June 18, 1920.
Very close to Huthrips obscurus [Anaphothrips striatus (Osborn) ] but
differs in its darker color, protruding eyes, longer mouth cone, prothorax
longer and more nearly square in outline (i. e. less rounded at the angles),
shorter legs, mesothorax with less obtusely rounded fore angles, metathorax
not smoothly joined to the mesothorax.
70. Eurythrips longilabris, n. sp.
Female. Measurements: Total body length 1.14 mm.; head, length 0.13
mm., width 0.14 mm.; prothorax, length 0.13, width across coxae 0.24;
WINTER NUMBER 3 if/
~ mesothorax, width 0.24; metathorax, greatest width 0.27; abdomen, greatest
width 0.24 mm. Antennae, total length 0.34 mm.
Segment [at 7s |e 4 5 6 {/ 8
ILGiaEs eV A, ee eee Bo) | 2 58 57 52 38 28 | 28 microns
\\VAIG ICE] a See ee eee 33 28.5| 28 PAL PAL 27 21 | 14 microns
General color light, yellowish brown; head, antennae, and tube darker,
a dark tan color, body under reflected light shows much bright yellow
hypodermal pigmentation.
Head about as long as wide, narrowed in front, vertex elevated and pro-
jecting forward between the bases of the antennae. Cheeks bulging ab-
ruptly behind the eyes, elsewhere nearly straight, diverging slightly pos-
teriorly, roughened by small wart-like swellings which bear short bristles.
Eyes small, occupying a little over a third of the length and two fifths
of the width of the head. Ocelli yellowish brown, very large but incon-
spicuous, anterior one situated far forward between the bases of the an-
tennae, facing forward; posterior pair widely separated, situated opposite
the anterior part of the eyes but far removed from their margins. Post-
ocular bristles long and sharp pointed, projecting far beyond the eyes. Two
pairs of smaller bristles situated posterior to them and a somewhat larger
pair mediad. Two small ones behind and one in front of each ocellus.
Mouth cone long and slender, sharp-pointed at the tip, reaching quite
across the prosternum. Antennae 2.5 times as long as the head. Segments
large and heavy; 1 and 3 about concolorous with the head; 2 lighter,
brownish yellow; the others darker brown than the head; bristles and
sense cones long and thick but pale.
Prothorax trapezoidal, about as long as the head; widening sharply pos-
teriorly; posterior angles broadly rounded; a long acute spine on each
angle, subequal in length; and one about the middle of each side.
Mesothorax about as wide as prothorax, a slight constriction in the
middle; closely united to the metathorax whose sides are straight and
parallel. Legs of medium length, fore femora slightly enlarged; fore tarsi
with a small, sharp spine. Wings short, membrane brown, fringed with
long but comparatively few hairs.
Abdomen rather short but longer than in some of the species of the
genus, sides nearly parallel to the 8th segment and then abruptly rounded;
lateral bristles rather short, pale. Tube very short; terminal bristles
scarcely as long as the tube.
Male unknown.
Described from a single female taken about a light at night. August,
1920, Gainesville. Type in the author’s collection.
This species agrees with EH. hindsi Morgan in the roughened antennal
segments, acute spines, and narrower body, but differs in color, long mouth
parts, presence of wings and ocelli, and numerous minor characters.
KEY TO THE SPECIES OF EURYTHRIPS
a. Mouth cone short and blunt; spines of the body blunt.
b. Width of the abdomen about 1.7 that of the prothorax; antennae
twice asvlonge asthe head...) 02.20.2002. E. ampliventris Hinds.
38 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
bb. Abdomen about 1.25 times as wide as prothorax; antennae about
2.5. timesras lone. as, the neadec = sees eee E. osborni Hinds.
aa. Mouth cone sharp-pointed at the tip; spines of the body acute.
b. Mouth cone reaching only middle of prosternum.....L. hindsi Morgan.
bb. Mouth cone reaching across the prosternum....... E. longilabris, n. sp.
KEY TO N. A. SPECIES OF HAPLOTHRIPS
I. Post-ocular spines small or wanting. Antennae almost uniformly
brown except segment 3 and base of 4 which are light brown.
a. Brown, with reddish, hypodermal pigment. Wing membrane brown
for half its length. Tarsal spine large............. H. statices Haliday.
aa. Brown with black hypodermal pigment. Wing membrane brown at
extreme base only. Tarsal spine inconspicuous. H. cassiae Watson.
II. Post-ocular bristles well developed.
a. Post-ocular bristles and most of those of the thorax knobbed.
b. Sides of the head set with minute bristles, surface roughened;
fore tarsi with a large tooth; 10 to 12 accessory hairs on the
POM AWINES 22) secs isk es Fe ose se aac eee ec ee ae H, flavipes Jones.
bb. Sides of head with few inconspicuous bristles.
ec. Eyes produced posteriorly on the ventral side. Wings nor-
mal length.
d. Head faintly sculptured; no interlocated hairs on fore
wings; tibiae brown................. H. bellus Hood and William.
dd. 3 or 4 interlocated hairs; head almost free of sculpture;
tibiae pale yellow: 2 eee H. tibialis Hood.
cc. Eyes not produced posteriorly.
d. No interlocated hairs; wings only half the length of the
ppd OMI 2 Yee lee eben eek ee H. gracilis Watson.
dd. 4 to 7 interlocated hairs; wings normal length.
e. Post-ocular bristles short.............. H. Dozieri Wats.
ee. Post-ocular bristles long.
f. Head wider posteriorly; tibiae brown.
g. Head about as long as wide; sides of prothorax
burl oer rs ee eet eee eee H. gowdeyi Franklin.
gg. Head longer than wide; sides of prothorax concave.
HA. merrilli Watson (20-b)
ff. Head narrower posteriorly; tibiae yellow.
H. funki Watson.
aa. Post-ocular bristles not knobbed.
b. Apex of femora with small anteriorly directed tooth within.
ec. Antennae uniformly dark brown; terminal bristles shorter
than the tube............. H. jonesi Karny (H. nigricornis Jones).
ec. Antennal segment 3 brownish yellow; terminal bristles longer
than -thextube. 2.2 et er ee 2 ee H. haplophilus Hood.
bb. Apex of femora toothless.
c. Wings clear except a brownish area at base.
WINTER NUMBER 39
d. Antennae twice as long as head, usual sense cones present
on segment 3.
e. Bristles of the anterior and posterior margins of pro-
thorax about equal.
f. Antennal segments 3-6 bright yellow; abdominal spines
(except those of the tube) slender and faint; pro-
thorax about 1.5 times as wide as long.
H. verbasci (Osborn)
ff. Antennal segments 3-6 light brown or yellow; abdom-
inal spines stout and conspicuous; prothorax about
twice as wide as long......... H. variabilis (Crawford).
ee. Bristles of the anterior margin of the prothorax much
shorter.
f. No interlocated hairs on wing......... H. malifloris Hood.
ff. About 20 interlocated hairs.
H. orlando Watson and Osborn.
dd. Antennae less than twice the length of the head.
e. No sense cones on the inner surface of segment 3.
f. Prothorax less than twice as wide as long.
g. Only antennal segment 3 entirely yellow or brown-
ish yellow.
h. Antennal segment 3 shorter than 2.
H. graminis Hood.
hh. Antennal segment 3 longer than 2.
H. pini (Watson) (Cryptothrips pini Wats.)
ff. Prothorax nearly or quite twice as wide as long.
g. Antennal segments 3-6 yellow, 3 longer than 2.
H. faurei Hood.
gg. Only antennal segment 3 yellow, shorter than 2.
H. humilis Hood.
ee. Sense cones present on segment 3...........-... H. querci Wats.
ee. Wings clouded with gray with a nearly black area at the base
and a paler one just before the middle, 2 interlocated hairs.
H. nubilipennis Hood.
CALLING US NAMES
In a recent advertising circular the Country Gentleman lists
among its writers a former “entymologist of Texas State Univ.”
HAS HE CROSSED THEM WITH WATER HYACINTHS?
A correspondent writes: “I have thirty acres of onions on
Lake Okeechobee.”
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
IPROBESSOR: J bys WIATSON Ges eer Editor
DR AWILMONCNEWELie in eee ee ee Associate Hditor
TOR MEW WDE RGHR 6.2500 soe Oe Series eevee sean eee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
A FOOD PLANT OF LANGURIA DISCOIDEA Lec.
The beetles of the family Hrotylidae are known as ‘“‘The Pleas-
ing Fungus Beetles.” They are mostly slender, in shape re-
sembling the click beetles but usually taper conspicuously toward
the posterior end and, instead of the sober uniform colors of
those beetles, these are most prettily and tastefully colored in
striking patterns of red and black, a red thorax and black elatra
or the reverse. Striking, but trim and elegant, never with gaudy
or harlequin color patterns, they are indeed “pleasing” to the
eye, quite ‘“‘chic’”’ in fact. It would seem that they should be an
ornament to any sago palm; but at least one nurseryman cannot
see it that way.
The family is well represented in the tropics and numbers
1800 species but only 50 of them are found in North America.
Most of these beetles live in fleshy fungi into which they bore
but those of the genus Languria feed on plants and are often
found visiting flowers. Tho one species, L. mozardi, is known
as the Clover-Stem Borer, from its habit of boring into the stems
of clover to which it is sometimes very destructive, their habits,
especially those of the larvae, are not well known, generally
speaking. This seems to be true of L. discoidea Lec., so the
following observation by Mr. John Beach, the well-known nur-
seryman of West Palm Beach, is a real contribution to our
knowledge of the species:
“It lives on the sago palms and eats the young shoots. It also
nips the old leaves to some extent, and when the plant is touched
drops into the bud. I have known them for twenty years on the
sagos and have seen them ruin a fine lot of sagos at the Craigin
place but it took them four years to do it. After covering all
the sagos they attacked and killed the buds of Washingtonias,
(40)
WINTER NUMBER Al
Arecas, Kentias, Phoenix, and Pandanus. I killed them by dust-
ing powdered pyrethrum into the buds.”
It would be interesting to know if the larvae also feed on the
palms.
REPORTS OF MEETINGS OF THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGI-
CAL SOCIETY
Sept. 27, 1920. The Society met in Language Hall at 4:30,
President Merrill in the chair. The following members were
present: Merrill, Chaffin, Stirling, Davis, Reese, Fattig, Wat-
son, Berger, Stone, Montgomery.
Letters were read from U. C. Loftin, Tucson, Ariz., and H. B.
Loding, Mobile, Ala. Mr. Loding suggested the use of a weak
solution of cyanide in the Loftin mosquito traps. In the dis-
cussion which followed the consensus of opinion was that such
a procedure would be dangerous for general use.
The paper of the evening on “Diseases of Bees’’ was given by
C. A. Reese. He gave a brief but comprehensive statement of
the diseases of honey bees and their treatment. (This infor-
mation will appear in The Florida Grower.)
Under the heading of Brief and Timely Notes, Mr. Stirling
called attention to the meeting of the state beekeepers which
would be held in Gainesville on Oct. 6. Professor Watson pre-
sented a chart showing the relation of the winter weather to the
abundance of the Velvet Bean Caterpillar the following season.
It appears that very severe frosts cause the extermination of
the insects and results in smaller numbers and later arrival the
following season. The milder frosts during the past two years
have resulted in an increasing amount of injury.
Mrs. S. F. Richmond of Loughman, Fla., and Miss Stella Brod-
nax of Jacksonville were elected to membership in the Society.
Oct. 25, 1920. The Society met in Language Hall at 4:30.
Mr. H. P. Loding, proprietor of The Gem Floral Garden, Mobile,
Ala., and Professor R. W. Harned, Agric. Coll., Miss., were
elected members.
The paper of the evening was given by Dr. Montgomery on
the Mexican Bean Beetle which has recently obtained a foothold
in Alabama. The speaker called attention to the severe damage
inflicted by this insect on beans and cowpeas and the freedom
42 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
of velvet beans from attack, and the danger of its ultimately
reaching Florida. In the discussion that followed Professor
Watson stressed the point that the name “bean” as applied to
the velvet bean was more or less of a misnomer, that the plant
was not very closely related to the true beans and that there
are comparatively few insect pests common to the two, so that
it is not surprising that the Mexican Bean Beetle does not attack
velvet beans. A motion was passed that a committee of three,
of whom the Secretary be one, be appointed to prepare resolu-
tions pointing out the danger to Florida from this beetle and
urging that growers refrain from securing forage from the
infested region.
Under Brief and Timely Notes, Professor Watson read a letter
from a physician at Hawthorn, Fla., reporting on two cases of
poisoning by the bite of the “Black Widow” spider. Both
showed extreme symptoms of nervous and gastric disturbances.
The latter were so pronounced that when one of the patients
was rushed to a hospital in Jacksonville he was at once operated
on for appendicitis.
J. H. MONTGOMERY, Sec’y.
Nov. 29, 1920. The Society met in Language Hall at 4:30
p. m. with President Merrill in the chair. Dr. O. F. Burger, the
new Plant Pathologist at the Experiment Station, was elected to
membership. A letter from the President of the Am. Ass. Econ.
Ent. addressed to President Merrill requesting that a represen-
tative of the Society be appointed to attend the Chicago meeting
of the Association in December was read. The President ap-
pointed Mr. F. M. O’Byrne as our representative at the above
meeting. .
The subject of the evening’s program was “A Discussion of
Dr. Pierce’s Lectures on Entomology” which was led by Dr. E.
W. Berger.
Under Brief and Timely Notes Prof. Watson spoke of the
introduction of a mite from Canada which was parasitic on the
Oyster-shell Scale and the advisability of determining if this
mite would work on the closely related Purple Scale. On account
of the small number of members who would be in Gainesville
during the last week of December it was decided to have no
meeting at that time.
FRANK STIRLING, Secretary pro tem.
WINTER NUMBER 43
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO FLORIDA
ENTOMOLOGISTS
“Fumigation of Citrus Plants with Hydrocyanic Acid: Con-
ditions Influencing Injury” by R. S. Woglum. U.S. D. A. Bul.
907.
“The Black Fly of Citrus and Other Subtropical Plants” Dietz
and Zetek. U.S. D. A. Bul. 885.
“Cotton Boll Weevil Control by the Use of Poison,” B. R.
Coad. U.S, D. A; Bul. 375.
“Results of Experiments with Substances Against Chicken
Lice and the Dog Flea,” W. S. Abbott. U.S. D. A. Bul. 888.
The author recommends good, fresh pyrethrum powder for both
pests and sodium fluorid and mercurial ointment for chicken lice.
“The Beet Leaf-Beetle” (Monoxia puncticollis Say), Chitten-
den and Marsh. U.S. D. A. Bul. 892. Florida is included in
the range of this beetle but it does little damage here.
“The Pear Borer” (Aegeria pyri Harris), F. E. Brooks. U.S.
D. A. Bul. 887. Evidently the author did not consult Grossbeck’s
List of the Lepidoptera of Florida in outlining the insect’s dis-
tribution as he omits Florida from the list.
Farmers’ Bulletin 1148 on ‘“‘Cowpea Culture and Varieties”
has a section on the “Insect Enemies of the Cowpea,” “prepared
with the advice and cooperation of E. A. Back.” This deals
mostly with the seed weevils. The most troublesome of all the
insect enemies of cowpeas in our section and the limiting factor
in their cultivation for seed production, the Pod Weevil (Chalco-
dermus aeneus) is not even mentioned.
Farmers’ Bul. 1102, ‘“‘The Crow in its Relation to Agricul-
ture.”’ The author’s conclusion is: “The influence of the race
as a whole for good and harm appears to be about equal.” This
has reference to the “common crow” of most of the U. S. The
most common crow in at least the central part of Florida is not
this species but the Fish Crow. This does not seem to trouble
sprouting corn or chickens to any extent.
Farmers’ Bul. 1122 is on “Citrus Fruit Growing in the Gulf
States” by E. D. Vosbury. It contains the spray schedule.
“Orthoptera of N. E. America” by W. S. Blatchley (Nature
Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Ind.) is the last word on this group
of insects. It is a large and complete book of 784 pages, with
very full descriptions and notes on habits, distribution, food and
life history of all our species. It contains about 250 illustrations.
It is invaluable to students of this order of insects.
44 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
PERSONALS
Dean P. H. Rolfs, for the past 15 years Director of the Flor-
ida Agricultural Experiment Station and a charter member of
our Society, has been granted a four years’ leave of absence to
found and conduct an agricultural institution in the state of
Minas Geraes, Brazil. He sails from New York on Jan. 19. At
a special convocation on December 22 the University conferred
the degree of Doctor of Science on Dean Rolfs.
Professor Herbert Osborn of Ohio State University is ex-
pected in Gainesville about Jan. 15. He will spend several
weeks in the state collecting jassids.
Mr. W. S. Blatchley has arrived at his winter home in Dun-
edin. He is planning a two weeks’ collecting trip to Paradise
Key and extreme southern Florida some time in February.
Mr. A. H. Beyer, who is now engaged in the Corn Borer
Laboratory of the U. S. Bur. of Ent. at Arlington, Mass., is
spending a ten days’ vacation with his father at Lakeland.
According to the Jour. of Econ. Ent., John B. Gill, who has
been in charge of the Pecan Insects investigations for the U. S.
Bur. of Ent. at Monticello, Fla., has been transferred to Brown-
wood, Texas.
Plant Commissioner Newell, Dr. Montgomery, F. M. O’Byrne,
and Frank Stirling are in attendance upon the meetings of the
Amer. Ass. of Economic Entomologists at Chicago.
Miss Evelyn Osborn is now Professor of Entomology in the
Agricultural College of Syracuse University.
Mr. H. L. Dozier, formerly Assistant in the Department of
Entomology of the Experiment Station and now with the Miss.
State Plant Board, stopped over in Gainesville recently.
Announcements are out of the marriage of Mr. U. C. Loftin
to Miss Mae M. Lebeuf of New Orleans. At home after Jan.
15th, at Tlahualilo, Durango, Mexico.
Dr. Wilmon Newell, Plant Commissioner, and retiring Presi-
dent of the American Association of Economic Entomologists,
was elected to the Committee on Policy of the Association at its
Chicago meeting, December 29-31, 1920. The Committee subse-
quently selected Dr. Newell as its Chairman.
Messrs. C. H. Popenoe and J. E. Graf, in charge of the sweet
potato weevil eradication work in the South, are expected at
Gainesville about February first, and will make a tour of the
State in connection with this work.
WINTER NUMBER 45
Dr. W. A. Orton, member of the Federal Horticultural Board,
Washington, D. C., will make a trip to Florida in January for the
purpose of inspecting the various lines of work conducted under
the auspices of the Federal Horticultural Board. Dr. Orton will
pay special attention to the port quarantine work being carried
on by the State Plant Board in collaboration with the Federal
Horticultural Board.
Dr. Newell, Dr. Montgomery, Messrs. O’Byrne and Warner
were in attendance at the hearing in Washington, D. C., before
the Horticultural Board on December 20th, to consider the im-
position of a quarantine or regulative measures intended to pre-
vent the introduction of the Black-Fly into this country and
particularly Florida. The Board will announce its decision in
sanuary. It is confidently expected that proper safeguards will
be provided.
In December, Mr. L. R. Warner, Assistant Quarantine In-
spector for the Plant Board at Key West, Fla., visited Cuba and
the Bahamas collecting information on the Black-Fly.
Mr. George B. Merrill, Assistant Entomologist of the State
Plant Board, Gainesville, Fla., has been advanced from the grade
of Associate Member to that of Active Member in the American
Association of Economic Entomologists. The honor was con-
ferred upon Mr. Merrill in recognition of his work.
THE HABIT OF HORSE FLIES CHASING AUTOMOBILES
In the Review of Applied Entomology, VIII-B-6, p. 110, occurs
a review of “A Contribution to Knowledge of the Tabanidae of
Palestine’, by Maj. E. E. Austin, in which occurs this statement ;
“Attention is directed to the pursuit of a fast traveling motor
car by two species. This habit does not seem to have been pre-
viously recorded, though in Africa the attraction for Glossina
of moving vehicles or animals has been noticed on more than
one occasion.” The phenomenon of Tabanids pursuing auto-
mobiles is often noticed here in Florida. Doubtless it is a man-
ifestation of the primitive instinct of the chase common to those
predaceous animals that pursue their prey. The Business Man-
ager also states that, some years ago, he captured at one time,
several dozen Tabanids trapt back of an open door at the rear
of a coach, on a north-bound Florida East Coast Railway train
that he boarded at Titusville, Fla. Had these flies mistaken
the railway train for a big animal?
46 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
DR. NEWELL DEAN OF AGRICULTURE
As we go to press the announcement is made that the Board
of Control at their last meeting placed Dr. Wilmon Newell in
charge of the Agricultural College, Experiment Station and Ag-
ricultural Extension as well as the Plant Board. This places all
of the agricultural activities on the campus under one head, thus
ensuring perfect cooperation between the different departments.
Mr. A. H. Beyer has resigned from the Bureau of U. S. Ento-
mology to take up the work of assistant in the Departments of
Plant Pathology and Entomology in the Experiment Station.
A JAPANESE ORANGE FRUIT FLY
In a Bulletin of Imperial Agric. Central Experiment Station
T. Miyake describes a serious orange fruit fly, thus reminding
us of one of Florida’s advantages. Florida, California and some
of the West Indies are the only citrus sections on earth which
have no fruit flies—no worms in their oranges.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Time
Pepper Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
WANTED—To buy or exchange for northern species, southern
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I WANT to buy common native or foreign butterflies in quan-
tities. State prices to J. G. White, Wellington Grove, Waltham,
Mass.
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‘ OGhe —
Florida Entomologist
(Formerly The Florida Buggist)
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VOL. IV SPRING NUMBER NO. 4
MARCH, 1921
NOTES ON SOME AMERICAN TINGIDAE, WITH DESCRIP-
TIONS OF NEW SPECIES*
By Cari J. DRAKE
Leptoypha meateei n. sp.
Form oblong, the elytra distinctly constricted a little beyond the middle.
Antennae more slender and a little longer than in L. binotata Champion;
first segment slightly longer than the second, the latter obconical; third
segment a little more than three and a half times the length of the fourth,
the fourth slightly longer than the first and second conjoined. Elytra ex-
tending a little beyond the tip of the abdomen; costal area extremely nar-
row, with a single row of tiny areolae; subcostal area with three to four
rows of areolae, the areolae very slightly smaller than those of discoidal
area; sutural area broad, the areolae becoming larger towards the apex.
Median pronotal carina quite distinct, the lateral ones traceable on the
posterior extension. Spines on vertex of head short, decumbent, converging
at the apex; lateral spines rather long, decumbent, extending a little beyond
the posterior margins of the eyes. Pronotum coarsely punctured. Length,
2.89 mm.; width 1.14 mm.
General color light reddish brown, with fuscous markings. A transverse
spot on each side behind the collar, one on each side near the lateral carinae,
discoidal area and a broad transverse band about the middle of costal area,
and part of the veinlets of sutural area dark fuscous. Antennae and legs
reddish brown. Bucculae, rostral sulcus and spines on head yellowish
brown.
Two specimens, taken on wild olive, Osmanthus americanus,
August 13, 1916, Gainesville, Fla. Numerous nymphs and adults
were observed feeding on the underside of the leaves by Mr.
*Contribution from the Department of Entomology, the New York State
College of Forestry, Syracuse, N. Y.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Ento-
mologist. Please mention Entomologist when you write our
advertisers.
50 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Dozier. I am indebted to Dr. Champion for comparing the type
of this insect with the type of L. binotata Champ. in the British
Museum. The species is named in honor of Mr. W. L. McAtee,
who has taken a very active interest in the genus. Types in my
collection.
Corythaica smithi n. sp. (Plate I; Figs. a and a’).
Allied to C. monancha Stal., but very distinct and readily
separated from it by the rounded lateral margins of the para-
nota, the more evenly arched median carina, and the more de-
flected hood in front. Length, 3.1 mm.; width 1.4 mm.
Pronotum coarsely punctate, with distinct cells on the posterior projec-
tion. Paranota broad, quite evenly rounded, with mostly three (some places
four) rows of areolae. Median carina strongly raised, about equal to crest
of hood in height, quite evenly rounded above, with two rows of areolae at
middle. Lateral carinae uniseriate, the areolae large, slightly constricted
at the middle. Hood a little larger and projecting a little farther in front
of the head than in C. monancha, quite evenly narrowed in front, the median
nervure distinctly raised, four rows of areolae at base (for three cells) and
then with two roof-like rows extending anteriorly. Wings a little longer
than abdomen. Elytra extending considerably beyond the apex of the abdo-
men, slightly constricted a little beyond the middle; tumid elevation mod-
_erately large and occupying greater part of subcostal and discoidal areas;
costal area with two rows of large areolae (three or four additional small
cells on each side); subcostal area wide with five rows of areolae, the areolae
becoming distinctly smaller towards the costal area. Discoidal area bounded
by a strongly raised nervure, four rows of areolae at widest part, the tumid
elevation occupying the great part, all save inner row of cells, of this area.
Sutural area broad, the areolae becoming larger posteriorly. Areolae trans-
lucent. Antennae slender. Rostrum reaching to meso-metathoracic suture.
General color yellowish brown, with fuscous markings. Hood with the
nervures above pale brown, the cells whitish and opaque. A spot on median
carina and one on each paranota fuscous. Costal area with broad cross
band a little in front of the middle, one or two spots between the band and
dark apical portion, part of discoidal area, sutural area and most of apical
portion of elytra fuscous. Body dark reddish brown beneath. Antennae
and legs light brown, the apical segment of the former dusky.
Two specimens, male and female, from Bonda, a village on
Manzanares river, seven miles east of Santa Marta, Colombia,
S. A., collected by H. H. Smith, after whom the insect is named.
Type in Carnegie Museum. This species may be separated at
once from any of the known species with rounded margins of
paranota, by its much wider paranota. The female is a little
larger than the male. The male is figured.
Corythucha meelfreshi n. sp. (Plate I; Figs. b and b’).
Somewhat allied to C. unifasciata Champion, but very distinct
SPRING NUMBER 51
and readily separated from it by its much smaller size, the
broader bulbous portion of the hood, the differently formed car-
inae, and the elytra are without distinct fasciae. Length 3.54
mm.; width, 2.3 mm.
Lateral margins of elytra and paranota with numerous short spines, some
places with double rows (extra submarginal row). Nervures with very few
erect spines. Tumid elevation of elytra moderately large, costal area tri-
seriate. Paranota with areolae smaller than those of hood. Hood mod-
erately elevated, broad, abruptly constricted a little in front of the middle;
posterior portion large, broad, sub-globose (a little longer than broad and
broader than high) ; median carina slightly arched, shorter and about half
as high as crest of hood. Lateral carinae not widely separated from hood,
with four moderately large cells, raised anteriorly. Height of hood about
three-fifths of its length.
General color yellowish white. A few nervelets on the paranota, a spot
on each tumid elevation, and a few cross-nervures (perhaps indicating
transverse fasciae on elytra) brown. Areolae hyaline, the areolae of tumid
elevation partly embrowned. Body black.
One example from Mexico in the late Frank M. McElfresh
collection. The species is so very distinct that I feel safe in
describing the insect from a single specimen. Type in my col-
lection.
Corythucha morrilli Osborn and Drake.
Numerous specimens, including type, paratypes, and many
other specimens fully convince me that it is impossible to sepa-
rate this insect from paratypes of C. mexicana Gibson. Morrilli
O. & D. is somewhat variable in size and color; the hood also
shows some variation in size and height. In this respect it is
much like its congener, C. marmorata Uhler. Morrilli is a com-
mon species in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and
Mexico. It feeds and breeds commonly on sunflowers, Helianthus
spp. Other specimens at hand bear the food plant labels ebony,
beans, and desert plant.
Corythucha contracta Osborn and Drake.
This is a common insect in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. I have
numerous specimens from Jefferson (collected by Sim), Colum-
bus, Delaware, Malta and Rockbridge, Ohio. It is also found
throughout the eastern and northeastern part of the United
States. C. parshleyi Gibson is identical and a synonym of con-
tracta O. & D. It has been found feeding and breeding on bass-
wood, walnut, butternut and pecan.
Corythucha seguyi n. sp. (Plate I; Figs. ¢ and c’).
Closely allied to C. unifasciata Champion, but distinguished
from it by its larger size, the elytra broader apically, and the
52 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
q D
Laer ly hy Om
Ri ieee \
\
LN
——
1
fy
anit
ts
rc c ( F a —<
oo nce
A rage]
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eS
Om
WP-OSBORN:
EXPLANATION OF PLATE
Drawn by Mr. W. P. OSBoRN.
-Piate I. Fig. a, Corythacia smithi n. sp.
Fig. a’, Side view of hood and carinae of Corythacia smithi n. sp.
Fig. b, Corythucha seguyi n. sp.
Fig. b’, Side view of hood and median carina of C. seguyi n. sp.
Fig. c, Corythucha mcelfreshi n. sp.
Fig. c’, Side view of hood and median carina of C. mcelfreshi n. sp.
SPRING NUMBER 53
distinct cross band near the apex of the elytra. Length, 4.52
mm.; width 3 mm.
Hood moderately large, constricted slightly back of the middle, not so
strongly deflected as in unifasciata Champ., slightly broader than high,
its length about one and a half times its height. Median carina moderately
arched, with single row of areolae (two or three extra cells at middle),
about one-half as high as hood. Lateral carinae with five or six small cells,
rather widely separated from hood. Costal area with three quite regular
rows of large areolae. Bulbous elevations of elytra moderately large.
Outer margins of elytra and paranota armed with numerous short spines.
Nervures of elytra, hood and paranota with few spines.
General color above yellowish brown. Areolae mostly hyaline. Two spots
on the paranota, a rather large spot on median carina, part of crest of
hood, most of tumid elevation, and more or less of sutural area brown.
Elytra with a transverse band near the base and another near the tip
brown. Spines with black tips. Body black.
Four specimens, Cochabamba, Bolivia, S. A. Names in honor
of Mr. E. Seguy, who kindly sent the material to me for study.
Types in Paris Museum. Paratypes in my collection. The type
is figured. More specimens may make this species a variety of
C. unifasciata, but at present it seems best to consider it a dis-
tinct species.
Corythucha salicata Gibson.
In a long series of specimens from Oregon, Washington and
Manitoba it is impossible to separate C. drakei Gib. from C.
salicata Gib.; the latter name has priority. The insect feeds on
willow, poplar, apple and alder.
Corythucha mollicula Osborn and Drake.
Numerous specimens at hand from Wisconsin, Michigan and
New York positively connect up C. salicis O. & D. with C. molli-
cula O. & D. The species is quite variable in color and size; the
hood is also somewhat variable in size and height. Mollicula
and salicis represent the two most extreme forms before me, but
as there are so many intermediate forms, it seems best not to
consider the latter as a variety. The insects breed on various
species of willows and poplars. It has been collected on culti-
vated currants in Montana by Cooley. There are two genera-
tions a year on willow and poplar in the Adirondack Mts., New
York. Winter is spent in the mature state among the leaves and
rubbish on the ground. The insect is a transcontinental species,
extending throughout the northern part of the United States
and southern part of Canada and south along the Atlantic states
to South Carolina (fide Drake) and Florida (fide Osborn).
54 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Parshley has made C. canadensis Parsh. a synonym of this
species.
Corythucha arcuata var. mali Gibson.
Paratypes and other specimens in the collection of Mr. H. G.
Barber and numerous specimens in my collection indicate C. mali
Gibson to be a good color variety of typical C. arcuata Say. In
the typical form as well as the variety, the size of the insect and
the height of the hood is somewhat variable. The species breeds
on various species of oaks, apple and occasionally on hard and
soft maple.
Corythucha associata Osborn and Drake.
Numerous specimens from Ohio, Tennessee, New York, Mary-
land, New Jersey and Washington, D. C., make C. spinulosa Gib-
son a synonym of this species. The hood is slightly variable in
size and color, but there seems to be no forms indicating good
varieties. Associata O. & D. is slightly larger and has a more
elevated hood than C. aesculi O. & D. This species and C. pruni
O. & D. have been confused in literature by Gibson with C. fus-
comaculata Stal. The latter has not been taken in eastern United
States, but specimens are at hand from Arizona, Mexico and
Central America. C. fuscomaculata is a very variable species
in size, but structure and color pattern remain almost constant.
ENTOMOLOGICAL TRAINING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA*
The subject of a presidential address is one to which your
retiring president has given much thought and consideration.
Many subjects have presented themselves as being of adequate
potential importance but have for one reason or another been
discarded. The outcome is a very short paper on a topic which,
it seems to me, is very important and of timely interest.
I readily assure you that I appreciate the size of the subject,
and have no other idea in mind than that of presenting for your
consideration my own views and then only for what they may be
worth.
If, in the course of this discussion, any of you should gain the
impression that my remarks are tainted with ambiguity or
unjust criticism it will be deeply regretted. Ambiguity or un-
just criticism is very remote from my thoughts. I may criticise,
*A ddress of the Retiring President, Geo. B. Merrill.
SPRING NUMBER 55
but it will be only for a constructive purpose and the criticism
is justified by the fact, which is deplorable but nevertheless true,
that entomological teaching at the University of Florida has
been conspicuous more by reason of its absence than by its exist-
ence. By entomological training I do not mean hitting a few
high places alone with bare essentials and leaving out the funda-
mentals necessary thereto.
In comparison with modern standards the University of Flor-
ida has, at this time, only an elementary course in Entomology
for the students who attend the Agricultural College. It is not
now for us to consider the reasons for this condition. Suffice it
to say that the greatest cause has been the lack of funds, which
is a common trouble and one for which those in charge of the
University cannot be held responsible. Rather it is for us to
consider what should be done in the matter of encouraging any
plans which might be devised for the extension of the teaching
of entomology in the institution.
Again it will be well to point out that Entomology holds a
major position in the zoological and scientific world and that the
close affiliation or relationship which this great branch of
science holds to the whole field of agriculture and horticulture
is of the greatest importance.
Pray tell me, of what value is it to the farmer to know how
to build up his soil or how to grow large crops, if he does not
know how to guard these crops or how to identify and deal with
the insect in question? If this is of importance to the farmer
himself, how much more so must it be to the man from whom
the farmer seeks advice, namely, the County Agent? Certainly
this adviser should possess something more than a mere super-
ficial acquaintance with insects. To be really successful he must
be ‘put through the mill’? and made to know insects in a very
intimate way.
Where is the County Agent to obtain this knowledge? No-
where but in an Agricultural College where he can have the best
of instruction, adequate laboratory equipment and good natural
surroundings for extensive field work and experiments.
The necessity for a thorough working knowledge of Ento-
mology is by no means restricted to the two above mentioned
groups, i. e. the farmer and his local adviser. There are many
fields of opportunity open to graduates in Entomology. Varied
investigational and teaching problems seek men and few there
(Continued on page 58)
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROFESSOR J. R. WATSON. rere haa Editor
DR? = WL MONG INGE WL ies ee eee Pe ee Associate Editor
RH WiC GERGHRS 2: See St eee are ee es Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
THE HONEYBEES’ OWN TROUBLES
By FRANK STIRLING
Honeybees, like everything else, have their troubles. Some-
times it is a lack of care on the part of their owners, but more
frequently there are pests and enemies such as bee diseases,
moths or wax worms, wild animals and ants, which make raids
upon the colonies from time to time.
One of the most serious pests, especially in tropical and sub-
tropical countries, are ants. The small black fire ant, the giant
red ant and the wood ant frequently attack colonies of bees and
sometimes destroy them entirely before the beekeeper discovers
them.
A very striking incident of this nature was brought to the
writer’s attention several months ago when a large apiary on
Biscayne Key, in Dade County, was attacked and seriously rav-
aged by the large red ant (Camponotus abdominalis, Fab.).
On this key or island, lying four or five miles off the mainland
and across Biscayne Bay from Miami, Mr. C. E. Bartholomew
was engaged in beekeeping and was operating some eight or
nine hundred colonies of bees. The honey plants on this par-
ticular key are varied and many; shrubs and other plants such
as mangrove, sumac, palms of many kinds, especially the scrub
palmetto, are found in abundance. In and around the base of
the scrub palmettoes many colonies of these red ants had made
their homes, evidently attracted by the nectar produced by the
blossoms of the palmetto and by the trash and litter commonly
found around these plants.
These ants very soon discovered the whereabouts of the apiary
and began to make nightly raids upon different colonies of bees.
(56)
SPRING NUMBER 57
Mr. Bartholomew at once began to combat these ants by the
use of all methods known. For instance, the hives were placed
on stands several inches above the ground and the legs or sup-
ports of these stands placed in cans containing water and oil.
However, this procedure did not prove successful, for the ants
would carry small particles of trash and sand and would bridge
across the water in the cans and thereby gain entrance to the
hives, where they would not only carry away the honey stored
by the bees but would kill and feed upon the bee larvae. They
would then back up into the empty cells of the honey comb with
their heads at the entrances and bite off the legs and wings of
the bees as they passed over, and otherwise worried and annoyed
the bees until they left the hive. During one night these red
ants completely cleaned out and destroyed as many as thirty-
seven colonies, and during a period of a few weeks something
over two hundred colonies of bees were destroyed.
An attempt was made to hunt up the nests of the ants and
to destroy them with gasoline, but there were too many so that
this remedy was impracticable. “Tanglefoot” was placed around
the legs of the stands, but this three inch band of ‘“‘tanglefoot’’
was successful only for a short time as the ants soon learned to
cross over it.
Corrosive sublimate, mixed with axle grease and painted on
the legs of the stands, was tried. This method was at first suc-
cessful, for the ants would approach, examine it and then scam-
per off back to the scrub palmettoes; they would not linger a
moment. But in about two weeks they became used to it and
would wade right across it, wet or dry, paying no attention what-
ever to it. However, this method may be quite successful where
the ants in the surrounding neighborhood are less plentiful.
Pans were then filled with oil (distillate) and the legs of the
stands placed in the pans. This was satisfactory in so far as
the pans and oil were concerned, as no ants succeeded in crossing,
but they required constant attention to see that there was always
oil in the pans and that no weeds or grass grew against the
stands to serve as bridges for the ants. Seven colonies were lost
where a single blade of grass came in contact with the stands
so as to bridge the pans.
So it seemed that no means could be provided to control the
ants as every method used by beekeepers elsewhere had been
tried out and failed.
It became apparent that some other scheme must be tried in
58 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
order to save the apiary. Luckily, on this island, it is possible
to get tide-water at a depth of about three feet, so a moat about
two feet wide and four feet deep was dug all around the apiary,
and when this ditch was kept clean from trash it gave perfect
protection. The ditching, however, did not prove entirely infal-
lible, for four colonies were lost on account of a bridge across
the moat made by a sweet-brier vine.
ENTOMOLOGICAL TRAINING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA
(Continued from page 55)
are who are competent to respond to these calls. Federal and
state governments offer work of a more or less attractive nature,
especially in plant quarantine departments, and those available
for this class of work are fewer than the demand. Right here
in Florida, for example, the State Plant Board and other agri-
cultural agencies find much difficulty in maintaining a high
degree of efficiency in their personnel, and if there is to be any
great expansion we will have to go outside of the State to replen-
ish our forces instead of being able to secure good material from
our own state. This is not as it should be and reflects upon us.
The University of Florida should be turning out men fit to
successfully cope with graduates of other institutions of like
nature in their chosen entomological profession, whether it be
for agricultural or horticultural work, teaching, advising, po-
licing or any of the related commercial lines. It impresses me
that this applies more particularly to those men leaving the
College of Agriculture than to any of the other colleges for,
after all, Florida is essentially an agricultural and horticultural
state. The College of Agriculture should rank favorably with
or exceed the great institutions of similar nature in other states.
Its entomological work should be materially strengthened. There
are vast opportunities here for the development of a Department
of Entomology which are almost unparalleled in these United
States. Our State College of Agriculture should not only be a
Mecca for young students just beginning collegiate work but for
advanced students as well. I am only too well aware that to
accomplish such a great project will require time, patience and
last, but not least, money. However, this is no reason why we
should not look to the future, make suitable plans and then try
to accomplish them, even though the beginnings be small.
The speaker has been informed that the budget which has
SPRING NUMBER 59
been prepared outlining the desired activities of the College of
Agriculture for the coming two years supports an item providing
for the expansion of entomological teaching. Let us all hope
that these plans will mature. But—and this is the great point
I wish to make—even though the sought-for appropriations are
not made, that is no reason why the College of Agriculture
should not undertake to give more concentrated attention and
more courses in entomology than has been the case in the past.
I would not wish to be understood as meaning that these appro-
priations are not needed. The appropriations should be made
and pressure brought to bear if the College of Agriculture wishes
to develop and maintain its prestige among those of other states.
Just above I spoke of small beginnings, and I wish now to cite
such an example which started with a mere active interest on the
part of a few individuals and developed into such magnitude that
the whole University and others on the campus are proud of it.
I refer to the course in beekeeping given to the vocational stu-
dents. There is one thing lacking, however, in this course, and
that was brought rather acutely to the foreground recently,
when, in conjunction with the beekeeping course, a noted edu-
cator desired that the vocational students should have a course
in Entomology. Some of you know the circumstances of this
and realize what it means to the growth of the College of Agri-
culture.
There is no desire to minimize the great necessity for the
appropriation as provided for in this budget. Indeed, it is, at
the least, very modest when considered in connection with the
provisions made in other states for like purposes and where less
need for it exists. Assuming that the appropriation is made, it
must be apparent that the course can be greatly strengthened
and expanded if judicious use is made of the entomological
“talent” already on the campus. It may be surprising to know
that there are eight or nine entomologically trained men from
as many universities or colleges of the country working on the
campus. These men are not primarily engaged in teaching but
the majority, nevertheless, are competent to teach the subject
and give the College of Agriculture the prestige it needs to com-
pete entomologically with other states.
It will be unfortunate if the appropriation is not made and it
will be more so if we do not all try to do something more than
to sit down and leave the responsibility upon the other fellow.
Let us get together and do our little bit toward putting the
60 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
budget over, thus securing for the University and especially for
the College of Agriculture ample funds with which to carry for-
ward and upward the expansion necessary for the benefit of the
agricultural and horticultural interests of the State and Nation.
REPORTS OF MEETINGS OF THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGI-
CAL SOCIETY
Jan. 24. Meeting called to order at 4:30 in Language Hall,
President Merrill in the chair. New members elected were
A. H. Beyer of the Experiment Station, S. H. Roundtree, Bu-
reau of Entomology, U. S. D. A., Macclenny, Fla., and J. L.
Lazonby, of the State Plant Board, Gainesville.
Professor Herbert Osborn was elected an honorary member
of the Society.
This being the annual meeting for the election of officers the
following were elected: President, Prof. J. R. Watson; Vice-
President, P. W. Fattig; Secretary, Jeff Chaffin; Treasurer,
E. W. Berger; Member of the Executive Committee, O. F.
Burger. The staff of the Florida Entomologist was re-elected.
It was moved and passed that the President appoint a commit-
tee of three, he to act as one, to solicit new members and assist
the Treasurer in collecting dues. Messrs. F. M. O’Byrne and
Frank Stirling were appointed. Under ‘‘Timely Notes’ Mr.
Stirling reported the recent destruction of over two hundred
colonies of honey bees on Biscayne Key by ants (Camponotus
abdominalis floridanus), thirty-seven colonies being destroyed
in one night.
Feb. 28. Meeting called to order in the usual place and hour
by President Watson. Members present: Newell, Berger,
O’Byrne, Montgomery, Burger, Stirling, Merrill, Reese, Beyer,
Lazonby, and Chaffin. It was moved and passed that the Presi-
dent increase the committee on membership from three to five.
Messrs. B. F. Floyd and W. W. Yothers, of Orlando, were
appointed.
The paper of the evening was the address of the retiring
president, Geo. B. Merrill, on the “Needs of Entomological
Instruction at the University of Florida.” The address was
heartily endorsed by the Society and it was moved and passed
that it be published in the next issue of the FLORIDA ENTOMOLO-
SPRING NUMBER 61
GIST. It was moved and passed that the Society endorse the
proposed budget for the University of Florida.
March 28. Society called to order at 4:30 P. M., President
Watson in the chair. The paper of the evening was “Bumble
Bees” by Prof. P. W. Fattig. His talk was very interesting
and highly appreciated by the Society. Professor Fattig also
showed a lot of insects that mimic bumble bees in their appear-
ance. How nearly certain robber-flies look like bumble bees
was certainly a surprise. Under “Timely Notes’ Prof. Watson
exhibited some specimens of a large black thrips, Idolothrips
fuscipes, recently captured near Gainesville. This is the third
record of the capture of this insect, always on dry leaves.
J. CHAFFIN, Secretary.
SMOKER FOR PROFESSOR OSBORN
On the evening of January 17, the Society held a smoker in
honor of Professor Herbert Osborn, who is spending the win-
ter in Florida. The smoker was held in the office of the
Nursery Inspector in Language Hall, with upwards of forty
members and invited guests present. Dean Wilmon Newell
acted as toastmaster and a very enjoyable evening was spent.
PERSONALS
Among those present at the meeting of the Farm Bureau in
Gainesville on March 11 and 12 were Mr. DeBusk of Tavares,
C. D. Kime of Orlando, and Frank Merrim of Dade City.
News has just reached us of the marriage last May of Mr.
Eli K. Bynum, now inspector of the State Plant Board of Mis-
sissippi, located at Ocean Springs, Miss.
County Agents DeBusk of Lake County, Alfred Warren of
St. Lucie, and K. E. Bragdon of Brevard are cooperating with
the Department of Entomology of the Experiment Station in
experiments in spraying for the control of thrips on citrus.
Arthur C. Mason of the U. S. Ent. Laboratory at Orlando,
who recently underwent an operation for appendicitis, has re-
turned to the laboratory.
On the evening of March 18, Dr. Davis addressed the
Athenaeum Club at the University on the “Resources of Florida
Waters.”
Mr. J. C. Hamlin, who is employed by the Prickley Pear
Board of the Commonwealth of Australia to collect for export
62 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
to Australia insects and fungus diseases which give promise of
being of value in their fight against this great cactus pest of
Australia, has been searching for such material about Gaines-
ville and Miami.
Mr. U. C. Loftin has resigned from the Bureau of Entomology
to accept a very attractive offer as entomologist to a cotton
growing company operating in the Laguna district of Mexico.
A course in Bee Keeping is being given by Mr. Frank Stir-
ling to the vocational students in agriculture. Sixty students
are now enrolled.
Mr. J. E. Graf is now in charge of the field work for the
Bureau of Entomology on the Mexican Bean Weevil. In Special
Report No. 3 (March 22) it is stated that at Birmingham, Ala.,
at least 20 per cent of the beetles have successfully passed thru
hibernation, indicating a heavy infestation for the coming year
and a widespread extension of the range which may reach well
into Georgia and Tennessee. ji
Printing for All Purposes
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I WANT to buy common native or foreign butterflies in quan-
tities. State prices to J. G. White, Wellington Grove, Waltham,
Mass.
When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Entomologist
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Ohe
Florida Entomologist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
WOL. V. SUMMER NUMBER NOH 1
JULY, L920
HOMOPTERA OF FLORIDA
HERBERT OSBORN
The following list is an attempt to bring together all available
data on the Homopteran fauna of Florida. The list published
by Professor Barber” naturally forms the basis for any such
effort and I have included the records there given with the au-
thorities. I have, however, adopted the nomenclature and ar-
rangement of Van Duzee’s Catalogue in the main, as this will
be for many years the most convenient means of comparison.
The numerous additions to the Barber list are largely due to
active collecting by Professor C. J. Drake, whose summer cap-
tures in 1918 were turned over to me for study and a number are
due to specimens submitted to me by Professor J. R. Watson of
the Florida Experiment Station, while a few trace back to earlier
collections by Professor H. A. Gossard. Initials of these gentle-
men will indicate the source for the species entered as also for
the many Gainesville records that appear. The Gainesville lo-
cality records have a special value since so large a part of the
previous records have been from coastal localities and in many
cases represent only winter collecting. The value of such a list
is of course dependent on the accuracy of the identification and
I have endeavored to verify all the previous records as well as
to satisfy myself as to the identity of the species newly entered.
In any comparison with other regions for the purpose of deter-
mining the source of the fauna or the recent introduction of
new arrivals it is very clear that reliable records for the regions
In Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. Vol. 33, pp. 495-535 (1914).
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Ento-
mologist. Please mention Entomologist when you write our
advertisers.
2, THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
compared are essential. While many of the native species are
important pests some of the worst enemies to agriculture are
probably introductions. A prompt recognition of new arrivals
may serve a very useful purpose in preventing or reducing their
destructive increase or distribution.
Note. Collections made by the writer during the winter of 1921 at St.
Petersburg, Tampa, Key West, Homestead, Miami, Delray, West Palm
Beach, Canal Point, LaBelle, Ft. Myers, Manatee, Ruskin and Gainesville
have extended the known range of a number of the species as well as adding
a number not hitherto recognized in the state. The latter are marked with
an asterisk—*.
SUB ORDER HOMOPTERA
CICADIDAE
Tibicen biconica Walk. Key West, June (Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil.) ;
Key West (Uhler) ; “Florida” (Macgillivray).
Tibicen bicosta Walk. La Grange, Sept. (Davis); “Southern
Florida” (Uhler); “Florida” (Macgillivray). Common in
the state but restricted to the South.
Tibicen linnei (S. & G.) Gainesville (?) (C. J. D.)
Tibicen pruinosa Say (S. & G.) Gainesville (C. J. D.)
Tibicen davisi (Sm. and Gr.) Miami, Georgiana (U. S. N. M.);
Miami, Jan. (Davis) ; Miami, Sept. (Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil.).
Tibicen erratica (Osb.) Pablo Beach, Sept., Big Pine Key, Sept.
(Davis). Oviposits in cotton stems.
Tibicen grossa (Fab.) Ormond (Mrs. Slosson).
Tibicen lyricen (de Geer) Lake City (U. S. N. M.); “Florida”
(Sm. and Gr.).
Tibicen reperta (Uhl.) “Florida” (Uhler).
Tibicen sayi (Sm. and Gr.) LaBelle, Apr. (Davis) ; ‘Florida’
(U38S;.-N.. M:):.
Tibicen sayi var. australis (Davis). La Grange, Sept. (Davis).
Tibicen similaris (Sm. and Gr.) Fernandina (U. S. N. M.);
Jacksonville, Sept., La Grange, Sept. (Davis).
Tibicen viridifascia (Walk.) (sordidata Uhl.); “Southern Flor-
ida’. Oviposits in stems of Sea Oats (Uniola) and lives in
tidal zone of shore line as observed in North Carolina. (See
Osborn & Metcalf. Annals E. S. A., Vol. 13, p. 108.)
Tibicen vitripennis Say. “Florida” (Uhler).
Tibicen hieroglyphica Say. “Apparently common throughout the
southern portion of Florida’ (Van Duzee); Ormond (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Lakeland, Mch., May, LaBelle, Apr., LaGrange,
Sept. (Davis); St. Augustine (Johnson). Gainesville (C.
JD)
SUMMER NUMBER 3
Melampsalta parvula Say. Tampa (Van Duzee) . Lakeland, May
(Davis). North to Ohio, common.
MEMBRACIDAE
Ceresa stimulea Van D. Estero (Van Duzee) ; Ormond, Jackson-
ville (Mrs. Slosson).
Ceresa brevistylus Van D. Crescent City, Sanford (Van Duzee
and A. M. N. H.). “Flat woods,” Gainesville, Aug. 25. (J.
R. W:)
Ceresa patruelis Stal. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Stictocephala diminuta Van D. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Stictocephala festina Say. Crescent City, St. Petersburg (Van
Duzee) ; Gainesville. (J. R. W.)
_ Sticticephala lutea Walk. Walton Co. (McAtee).
Stictocephala substriata Walk. Belleair, Jacksonville, Ormond,
Atlantic Beach (Mrs. Slosson) ; Sanford, Miami, Titusville,
Lakeland, Jacksonville, Crescent City, LaBelle, Ft. Myers,
(A. M. N. H.) ; St. John’s Bluff, E. Florida (Walker) ; Gaines-
ville (C. J. D.).
Acutalis inornata Ball. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Acutalis tartarea Say. “Taken at all stations’ (Van Duzee) ; At-
lantic Beach, Jacksonville, Ormond (Mrs. Slosson) ; Sanford,
Crescent City (A. M. N. H.) ; Gainesville (C. J. D., J. R. W.).
Acutalis tartarea var. semicrema Say. St. Augustine (Johnson) ;
Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Micrutalis calva Say. “Generally distributed in the State” (Van
Duzee) ; Newberry (A. M. N. H.; Biscayne Bay, Belleair,
Lake Worth, Ormond (Mrs. Slosson) ; Gainesville (J. R. W.).
Telamona collina Walk. St. John’s Bluff, E. Florida (Walker).
Telamona conica Walk. St. John’s Bluff, E. Florida (Walker).
Telamona monticola Fab. Seven Oaks (Van Duzee).
Telamona praealta Fowl. Tampa (Van Duzee).
Telamona subfalcata Van D. Belleair (Mrs. Slosson) ; Gaines-
ville (C. J. D.).
Archasia galeata (Fab.) Estero (Van Duzee); Jacksonville
(Mrs. Slosson) ; St. Augustine (Johnson) ; Gainesville, April
CREW.)
Smilia camelus (Fab.) Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Gainesville,
April (J. R. W.).
Similia fasciata A. and S. Lake Worth, Jacksonville (Mrs. Slos-
son).
4 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Cyrtolobus ovatus Van D. Sanford, Estero (Van Duzee) ; Marco,
Apr. (A. M. N. H.).
Crytolobus arcuatus (Emm.) Ormond (Mrs. Slosson).
Crytolobus fenestratus (Fh.) Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Crytolobus sculptus Fairm. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Crytolobus nitidus Van D. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Cytolobus tuberosus (Fairm.) Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
Cyrtolobus tumidus (Walk.) St. John’s Bluff, E. Florida
(Walker).
Cyrtolobus vau (Say). Belleair, Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Cyrtolobus inermis (Emm). Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Antianthe expansa Germ. ‘Florida’ (Van Duzee).
Ophiderma flavicephala Godg. “Florida” (Van Duzee) ; Gaines-
ville(C.-Js.D;):
Ophiderma salamandra Fairm. Tampa, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ;
Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Stictolobus 3-lineatus Funk. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Idioderma virescens Van D. “Taken occasionally at all places
where I worked” (Van Duzee) ; Estero (Van Duzee) ; San-
ford, Clearwater (A. M. N. H.) ; Gainesville (C. J. D.); St.
Petersburg (H. O.).
Idioderma varia Van D. Estero (Van Duzee).
Vanduzea triguttata (Burm.) St. Petersburg, Estero, Sevenoaks
(Van Duzee) ; Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Entylia concisa Walk. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Entylia sinuata (Fab.) Crescent City. Sanford, Ft. Myers (Van
Duzee) ; St. Augustine (Johnson) ; Gainesville (J. R. W.).
Umbonia crassicornis (A. & 8.) “Florida” (Amy. et Serv). No
modern records.
Platycotis vittata Fab. “Florida” (Goding); St. Augustine
(Johnson) ; LaBelle on water oak (H. O.). Occurs in two
forms—spotted and striped.
Platycotis sagittata Germ. Crescent City. Sevenoaks (Van Du-
zee).
Enchenopa binotata Say. St. Augustine (Johnson).
Campylenchia latipes (Say). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Tylopelta brevis Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Centruchoides perdita A. and S. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
On
SUMMER NUMBER
CERCOPIDAE
Tomaspis bicincta (Say). Sanford, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee) ;
Lake Worth, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Clearwater, Apr.,
Ft. Myers, Nov., Mch., Everglade, Apr. (A. M. N. H.);
Gainesville (J. R. W.).
Aphrophora quadrinotata Say. ‘‘Florida’”’ (Ball).
Aphrophora saratogensis (Fitch). Crescent City (Van Duzee) ;
Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Lepyronia angulifera Uhl. “Found in moderate numbers at all
places where I collected in Florida’ (Van Duzee) ; Biscayne
Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Sanford, Clearwater, Crescent City, Ft.
Myers, LaBelle, Tampa, Punta Gorda, Lakeland, Newberry
CA Maan HE):
Lepyronia quadrangularis Say. ‘Florida’ (Ball); Gainesville
(Cre). 2
Clastoptera obtusa (Say). This very common northern species
has been taken at Gainesville. (C. J. D.)
Clastoptera proteus var. saint-cyri Prov. Crescent City (Van Du-
zee).
Clastoptera proteus var. vittata Ball. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee).
Clastoptera xanthocephala Germ. “Abundant everywhere in Flor-
ida” (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay, Belleair (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Clearwater, Sanford, Crescent City, Jacksonville (A. M.
N. H.) ; Gainesville (C. J. D., J. R. W.); St. Petersburg and
numerous other points (H. O.).
Clastoptera xanthocephala var. glauca Van D. Ormond, Biscayne
Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; St. Petersburg, Miami (A. M. N. H.);
Gainesville (J. R. W.).
FAM. CICADELLIDAE
Sub. Fam. Bythoscopinae
Agallia novella (Say). Crescent City (Van Duzee) ; Gainesville
(CJD J. Raw.)s Lake City. (Col, Ac. Exp. Sta:).
Agallia constricta Van D. Crescent City. Sanford, (Van Duzee
and A. M. N. H.); Ormond, Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach
(Mrs. Slosson) ; Gainesville (C. J. D.) ; Lake City (Coll. Ag.
Exp. Sta.) ; St. Petersburg (H. O.) abundant and of economic
importance.
Agallia 4-punctata Prov. (H. L. Dozier).
Agallia deleta Van D. Crescent City, Sanford, Ft. Myers, (Van
Duzee) ; Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
6 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Agallia sanguinolenta Prov. Crescent City, Sanford (Van Du-
zee); Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson); Gainesville (C. J. D.);
St. Petersburg (H. O.). Widely distributed and injurious.
Agallia immaculata Lath. Gainesville (C. J. D.)
Agallia lyrata Baker. Crescent City (Van -Duzee).
Agallia variata Uhl. Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson).
Agallia oculata Van D. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Idiocerus nervatus Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Sub. Fam. Cicadellinae
Oncometopia lateralis (Fab.) Crescent City, Sanford, Tampa
(Van Duzee); Sanford, Clearwater. Jacksonville (A. M.
N. H.); St. Augustine (Johnson). Gainesville (C. J. D.);
especially common on sunflowers (J. R. W.). St. Peters-
bure (CH =.0,)-
Oncometopia undata (Fab.) “Found commonly throughout Flor-
ida” (Van Duzee); Jacksonville, Ormond (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Clearwater, Sanford, Lakeland, Miami, Key Largo (A. M.
N. H.); St. Augustine (Johnson) ; Lake Wales, Gainesville
(J Re Wi)
Homalodisca triquetra (Fab.) Sanford, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ;
Sanford, Clearwater (A. M. N. H.); Gainesville (J. R. W.).
Aulacizes guttata Uhl. Ft. Myers (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay
(Mrs. Slosson) ; Ft. Myers, Deep Lake, Apr. (A. M. N. H.).
Aulacizes irrorata (Fab.) Lake Worth, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slos-
son) ; Crescent City, Sanford, Apr. (A. M. N. H.). Gaines-
ville (J. R. W.) ; Lake City (A. L. Quaintance).
Aulacizes pollinosa Fowl.
Cicadella occatoria (Say). Crescent City, Sanford (Van Duzee) ;
Crescent City (A. M. N. H.); Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville
(Mrs. Slosson) ; ‘‘Florida’”’ (Ball) ; Gainesville (J. R. W., C.
JD): St. PetersburesGHO>):.
Kolla bifida (Say). Gainesville (C. J. D., J. R. W.).
Kolla bifida fasciata (Walk.) “Common everywhere in Florida”
(Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay. Jacksonville, Belleair (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Crescent City, LaBelle, Ft. Myers, Lakeland (A.
M. N. H.); “Florida” (Ball) ; St. Petersburg (H. O.).
Kolla geometrica (Sign.) ‘Common in Florida’ (Van Duzee) ;
Crescent City, Sanford (A. M. N. H.); Belleair (Mrs. Slos-
son), Gainesville, (H. L. D. C. J. D.); Bradentown (J. R.
W.); St. Petersburg (H. O.).
SUMMER NUMBER i
Kolla hartii (Ball) Ft. Myers, Estero (Van Duzee) ; Ormond,
Biscayne Bay, Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson); Ft. Myers, La-
Belle (A. M. N. H.). Destructive in grass; St. Petersburg
(H=0,) ;
Kolla similis (Walk.) Biscayne Bay. (Mrs. Slosson; Miami (A.
M. N. H.) Common in West Indies and Central America.
Possibly a recent introduction.
Graphocephala coccinea (Forst.) Crescent City, Sanford, (Van
Duzee and A. M. N. H.); Ft. Myers (Van Duzee) ; Jackson-
ville, Atlantic Beach (Mrs. Slosson); St. Augustine (John-
son) ; Gainesville (C. J. D.) ; St. Petersburg (H. O.) Abun-
dant and affecting many kinds of plants.
Graphocephala versuta Say. “Taken everywhere in Florida” (Van
‘Duzee) ; Biscayne Bay, Ormond, (Mrs. Slosson) ; Sanford,
South Bay of L. Okeechobee (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C.
PDS oeuka Wey tia. BD.) Lake Wales (d..R: 4W.)s Sta be-
tersburg (H. O.). Very common and certainly injurious.
Draeculacephala floridana Ball. Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slos-
son) ; Everglade (A, M. N. H.); St. Petersburg, Salt Marsh
Meadow (H. O.)
Draeculacephala balli Van D. Gainesville (C. J. D.)
Draeculacephala acuta Walk. South Bay of L. Okeechobee (A.
M. N. H.); St. John’s Bluff, E. Florida (Walker).
Draeculocephala mollipes Say. Crescent City, Clearwater, (Van
Duzee) ; Belleair, Ormond, Lake Worth, (Mrs. Slosson)
South Bay of L. Okeechobee (A. M. N. H.). Very widely dis-
tributed and injurious.
_Draeculacephala mollipes minor Walk. “Taken in damp places
and near water in most localities where I collected in Flor-
ida” (Van Duzee) ; Ormond (Mrs. Slosson) ; Ft. Myers, Lake-
land, Crescent City, Sanford (A. M. N. H.)
Draeculacephala inscripta Van D. Gainesville (C22 De)
Draeculacephala reticulata Sign. St. Petersburg, Estero (Van
Duzee; Belleair, Biscayne Bay, Ormond, Jacksonville, (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Everglade, Marco, LaBelle, Ft. Myers (A. M.
N. H.); Lake City (H. A. G.); Moore Haven, Gainesville,
(J. R. W.) ; St. Petersburg, Key West, Miami, and at almost
every locality visited (H. O.) Very injurious to grasses
and cereals.
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROFESSOR’ J. Ra WATSON S22 2a Bee ee ee ee Editor
DDR SVVEREMEOINY NIE WWI T so ee scene ec eee Associate Editor .
DR ey We BERGER: |. & 2 Sates 2 Sapa tet Come eeeunrres Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
Draeculacephala 7-guttata Walk. ‘Generally distributed but not
common in Florida” (Van Duzee); Jacksonville, Ormond,
Biscayne Bay. Belleair, Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson) ; Titus-
ville, Punta Gorda, Sanford (A. M. N. H.) Gainesville (C.
JiveD) StaPetersbung) CHO):
Penthima americana Fitch. ‘Taken everywhere in Florida” (Van
Duzee) ; Charlotte Harbor, Biscayne Bay, Jacksonville, (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Clearwater, Sanford, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville (A.
M. N. H.); St. Augustine (Johnson). Gainesville (C. J. D.);
St. Petersburg (H. O.)
Gypona rugosa Spangb. Belleair (Mrs. Slosson) ; Lakeland, Jack-
sonville (A. M. N. H.)
Gyona 8-lineata (Say). “Common everywhere in Florida” (Van
Duzee); Biscayne Bay, Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Lake-
land, Ft. Myers, Crescent City, Sanford, Jacksonville (A. M.
NH:)s -Gainesville. (C.J, D2 Hae)
Gypona albosignata Uhl. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Gypona scarlatina var. citrina Spangb. Crescent City, Sanford,
(Van Duzee); Atlanta Beach (Mrs. Slosson); Gainesville,
Common. Canal Point (H. O.)
Gypona irrorella Spangb. Ft. Myers (Van Duzee) ; La Belle, EG
Myers (A. M. N. H.)
Gypona striata Burm. “Florida” (Van Duzee); Ormond, Bis-
cayne Bay, Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Gypona tenella Spangb. Sanford, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ; Lake-
land May (A. M. N. H.); Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Gypona sanguinolenta Spangb. Sanford, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee) ;
Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
(8)
——
SUMMER NUMBER 9
Gypona scarlatina Fitch. Miamis(A. M. N. H.).
Gypona miliaris Stal. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Gypona resima Fowl. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Xerophloea viridis Fab. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; St. Au-
gustine (Johnson).
Sub. Fam. Jassinae
Xestocephalus pulicarius Van D. Crescent City, Ft. Myers (Van
Duzee) ; Everglade (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.);
St. Petersburg (H. O.)
Xestocephalus tessellatus Van D. Jacksonville, Belleair, Biscayne
Bay, Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slosson); LaBelle, Apr. (A.
M2 NG tH.)
Dorycephalus vanduzet Osb. and Ball. Clearwater (Van Duzee) ;
St. Petersburg, Ruskin (H. O.).
Dorydiella floridana Baker. “‘Florida”’ (Baker).
Hecalus apicalis Van D. Crescent City, St. Petersburg, Estero
(Van Duzee) ; Punta Gorda (A. M. N. H.).
Neoslossonia putnami (Osb.) Sanford (Van Duzee) ; Jackson-
ville (Mrs. Slosson).
Spangbergiella mexicana Baker. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Gainesville (C. J. D.); St. Petersburg (H. O.)
Spangbergiella vulnerata Uhl. Crescent City, Sanford, St. Pe-
tersburg, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee); Belleair, Ormond (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Lakeland Nov. (A. M. N. H.); Gainesville (C.
J. D.); St. Petersburg (H. O.)
Parabolocratus flavidus Sign. ‘‘Taken at most of the places where
I collected but not at all common” (Van Duzee) ; Punta Gor-
da. Nov. (A. M. N. H.); Gainesville (C. J. D.); St. Peters-
burg, common. (H. O.)
’ *Platymetopius elegans Van D. (?) Tampa, on live oak (H. O.).
Platymetopius frontalis Van D. Jacksonville, Biscayne Bay (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Ft. Myers, Apr. (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C.
Jd: D: J. R. W:). St. Petersburg (H. O.)
Platymetopius parvus Lath. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Platymetopius loricatus Van D. Sevenoaks, St. Petersburg, Ft.
Myers (Van Duzee) ; Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
Platymetopius magdalensis Prov. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Platymetopius nasutus Van D. Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
Platymetopius slossom Van D. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Jacksonville, Newberry (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.,
EP ee. bss)
10 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Platymetopius verecundus Van “‘Duzee. Crescent City, Sanford,
Sevenoaks, Clearwater, Estero (Van Duzee); Sanford (A.
M. N. H.). Gainesville: (C. J. D.).
Scaphoideus scalaris Van D. Jacksonville, Nov. (A. M. N. H.).
Scaphoideus unicolor Osb. Sanford (Van Duzee) Gainesville (C.
Ae Be
Scaphoideus consors Uhl. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Scaphoideus fasciatus Osb. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Scaphoideus cruciatus Osb. Marco, Everglade, Apr. (A. M. N.
H.); Clearwater, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay
(Mrs. Slosson). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Scaphoideus obtusus Osb. Crescent City, Sanford, Sevenoaks, Ft.
Myers (Van Duzee).
Scaphoideus albonotatus Van D. Estero (Van Duzee).
Scaphoideus auronitens Prov. Biscayne Bay. (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Crescent City; Apr: (A> Me N.-H.).
Scaphoideus immistus Say. Crescent City, Apr. (A. M. N. H.).
Scaphoideus jucundus Uhl. Estero (Van Duzee).
Scaphoideus neglectus Osb. Crescent City, St. Petersburg (Van
Duzee) ; Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson). Gainesville, (C. J. D.).
Scaphoideus opalinus Osb. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee).
Deltocephalus slossoni Ball. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Deltocephalus inflatus Osb. and Ball. Crescent City, Estero, Sev-
enoaks (Van Duzee).
Deltocephalus visendus Crumb. Gainesville.
Deltocephalus reflexus Osb. and Ball. Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
Deltocephalus fraternus Ball. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Lake-
land, Newberry, Clearwater, Jacksonville (A. M. N. H.).
Gainesville, (C. J. D.). St. Petersburg, Ruskin and many
other places on grass in “flatwoods”. (H. O.)
Deltocephalus misellus Ball. Jacksonville, Nov. (A. M. N. H.).
Deltocephalus weedi Van D. Crescent City, Clearwater, Seven-
oaks, Estero (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Jacksonville, Nov. (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (J. R. W.)
Deltocephalus micarius Ball. Sevenoaks, Sanford (Van Duzee).
Deltocephalus obtectus Osb. and Ball. “Taken occasionally at
nearly all places where I worked in Florida” (Van Duzee) ;
Belleair, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Newberry, Jackson-
ville, Lakeland, Nov. (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Lake City (H. A. G.) Common on Bermuda grass and doubt-
less destructive.
Deltocephalus compactus Osb. and Ball. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
SUMMER NUMBER 11
Deltocephalus flavicosta Stal. Biscayne Bay, Atlantic Beach
(Mrs. Slosson); Lakeland, LaBelle, Titusville, Key Largo,
Everglade, Sanford (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.
J. R. W.). St. Petersburg, Largo, etc. (H. O.)
*Deltocephalus marinus Osb. and Metcalf. Long Key, Pinellas
Co, (H:-0:).
Deltocephalus littoralis Ball. St. Petersburg (Van Duzee) ; Ever-
glade, Apr. (A. M. N. H.). At shoreline on grasses subject
to submergence at high tide as observed in N. C.
Deltocephalus caperatus Ball. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee).
Deltocephalus balli Van D. Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson). St. Pe-
tersburg (H. O.)
Deltocephalus mendosus Ball. Estero (Van Duzee); Lake City
(Gossard).
*Deltocephalus satur Ball. St. Petersburg (H. O.).
Deltocephalus sonorus Ball. Estero, St. Petersburg (Van Duzee) ;
Ormond, Belleair, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; St. Peters-
burg (H. O.).
Lonatura bicolor Van D. St. Petersburg, Largo, Ruskin. Fairly
common at some points in “flatwoods” on grasses (H. O.)
Euscelis bicolor (Van D.) Crescent City, Tampa, St. Petersburg
(Van Duzee). Gainesville (C. J. D. J. R. W.). Lake City
(A. L. Quaintance). Bradentown J. R. W.
Euscelis exitiosus (Uhl.) ‘Common everywhere in Florida” (Van
Duzee) : Biscayne Bay, Belleair, Ormond, Lake Worth, Jack-
sonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Punta Gorda, Marco (A. M. N. H.).
Gainesville (C. J. D. J. R. W.). Lake City (H. A. G.). Moore
Haven (J. R. W.)
Euscelis obtutus (Van D.) Crescent City (Van Duzee) ; St. Pe-
tersburg (H. O.)
Eutettix bartschi Van D. Sevenoaks, Estero (Van Duzee) ; Or-
mond, Biscayne Bay, Atlantic Beach (Mrs. Slosson); St.
Petersburg, Miami (A. M. N. H.).
Eutettix lurida Van D. Titusville, Nov. (A. M. N. H.); St. Au-
gustine (Johnson).
-Eutettix marmoratus Van D. “Florida” (Ball).
Eutettix slossonit Van D. Sanford, St. Petersburg, Sevenoaks, Ft.
Myers (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Clear-
water (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.)
Kutettix nitens Van D. Sevenoaks, Estero (Van Duzee).
Eutettix picta Van D. “Florida” (Ball). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
2 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Eutettia seminuda (Say). Gainesville (C. J. D., J. R. W.) ; Lake
City (Gossard).
Eutettix cincta Osb. and Ball. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Eutettix tristis Ball. “Florida” (Ball).
*Phlepsius distinctus Lathrop. St. Petersburg (H. O.).
Phlepsius attractus Ball. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius cinereus Van D. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius collitus Ball. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius costomaculatus Van D. Belleair, Biscayne Bay (Mrs.
Slosson) ; Crescent City, Sanford, Sevenoaks, St. Petersburg.
Ft. Myers (Van Duzee) ; LaBelle (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville
(J. R. W.). Clearwater (Gossard).
Phlepsius decorus Osb. and Ball. Tampa (Van Duzee).
Phlepsius excultus Uhl. Crescent City, Sanford, Sevenoaks, Ft.
Myers (Van Duzee) ; Jacksonville, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slos-
son); Crescent City, Sanford, Marco (A. M. N. H.); St.
Augustine (Johnson). Gainesville (J. R. W.). Clearwater
(Gossard).
Phlepsius floridanus Ball. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius fulvidorsum Fitch. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Phlepsius fuscipennis Van D. “Common everywhere in suitable
locations” (Van Duzee); Lake Worth, Belleair, Biscayne
Bay. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Newberry, Punta Gorda,
Nov. (A. M. N. H.). Bradentown (J. R. W.)
Phlepsius trroratus Say. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius lippulus Ball. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius mimus Baker. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Phlepsius nebulosus Van D. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Phlepsius nudus Ball. Sevenoaks, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee).
Phlepsius punctiscriptus Van D. Belleair, Charlotte Harbor (Mrs.
Slosson).
Phlepsius slossoni Ball. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Phlepsius truncatus Van D. Crescent City, Sevenoaks (Van Du-
zee).
Acinopterus acuminatus Van D. Tampa, Sanford (Van Duzee) ;
Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Jacksonville, Newberry, Mi-
ami, Nov. (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.) ; St. Peters-
burs: (H.-O.):
*Thamnotettix aureovittatus Sand. & DeL. Described from Big
Bayou and St. Petersburg.
SUMMER NUMBER 138
Thamnotettix comata Ball. Crescent City, Sanford, Sevenoaks,
St. Petersburg (Van Duzee); Belleair (Mrs. Slosson) ; La-
Belle, Nov. (A. M. N. H.).
Thamnotettix orbonata Ball. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Thamnotettia nigrifrons (Forbes). Crescent City, Sanford, St.
Petersburg (Van Duzee); Jacksonville, Ormond, Belleair,
Atlantic Beach (Mrs. Slosson) ; Crescent City, LaBelle, Ti-
tusville (A. M. N. H.). Abundant—destructive to grasses
and cereal crops.
Thamnotettia colonus (Uhl.) Gainesville, St. Petersburg (H. O.)
An abundant species in grass lands.
Thamnotettix subeuprea (Prov.) Sanford, Sevenoaks, Ft. Myers
(Van Duzee); Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Thamnotettix brittont Osb. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Chlorotettix galbanata Van D. Ft. Myers (Van Duzee).
Chlorotettia minima Baker. Estero (Van Duzee).
Chlorotettix necopina Van D. Crescent City, Sanford, Sevenoaks,
Clearwater (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay, Ormond (Mrs.
Slosson) ; LaBelle, Titusville, Jacksonville, Sanford (A. M.
N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.) ; St. Petersburg (H. O.) Com-
mon in coarse grasses.
Chlorotettiz rugicollis Ball. “Taken at most places where I
worked” (Van Duzee); Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Jack-
sonville, Lakeland, Newberry, Ft. Myers (A. M. N. H.).
Gainesville (C. J. D.) ; St. Petersburg, Ruskin, Delray. Com-
mon. (iH. O:).
Chlorotettizx spatulata Osb. and B. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Chlorotettix tergatus (Fitch). “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Chlorotettia tunicata Ball. Sanford, Clearwater, Estero, St. Pe-
tersburg (Van Duzee); Belleair, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slos-
son) ; Marco, Sanford, Miami (A. M. N. H.).
Chlorotettix viridius Van D. “Taken at all places where I
worked,” St. Petersburg, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ; Belleair
(Mrs. Slosson); Sanford, Clearwater (A. M. N. H.). An
abundant species in grass lands.
Jassus olitorius Say. “Common everywhere in Florida’ (Van
Duzee) ; Ormond, Belleair, Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Sanford, Estero, Clearwater, Crescent City, LaBelle, Marco,
Lakeland, Titusville, Jacksonville (A. M. N. H.); St. Au-
gustine (Johnson). Gainesville (C. J. D.). Common in wood-
land. Lake City (Exp. Sta. Coll.)
14 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Jassus melanotus Spang. Gainesville (J. R. W.).
Jassus borealis Spang. Bradentown (J. R. W.).
Neocoelidia tumidifrons Gill. and Bak. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slos-
son) ; St. Petersburg (H. O.)
Paracoelidea tuberculata Baker. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ; Jack-
sonville (A. M. N. H.). Common on pines.
Tinobregmus vittatus Van D. Biscayne Bay. (Mrs. Slosson).
Cicadula 6-notata Fall. Sanford, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee). Gaines-
ville.
Balclutha impicta Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee). var. me-
dius Bak.
Eugnathodus abdominalis Van D. Sanford, Clearwater, Ft. My-
ers (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay, Ormond (Mrs. Slosson).
Abundant in grasses.
Protolebra braziliensis Bak. Belleair, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slos-
son).
Empoasca flavescens Fab. Crescent City, Estero (Van Duzee).
Empoasca mali LeB. Crescent City, Sanford, Ft. Myers, Estero
(Van Duzee) ; Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Empoasca viridiscens Walsh. (Van Duzee Cat.)
Empoasca unicolor Gill. Ormond (Mrs. Slosson).
*Hmpoasca minuenda Ball. On avocado W. Palm Beach (G. F.
Moznette).
Typhlocyba flavoscuta Gill. Sanford, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee).
Typhlocyba rubricata Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Erythroneura comes Say. Crescent City, Sevenoaks, Estero (Van
Duzee) ; Jacksonville (A. M. N. H.).
FULGORIDAE
Cyrpoptus belfragei Stal. Tampa (Van Duzee); St. Augustine,
Nov. (Engelhardt. and Johnson). Enterprise?
Cyrpoptus reineckii Van Duzee. Widely distributed in the state.
Estero (Mrs. Slosson); Jacksonville (Sleight); Sanford,
Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Apr., Jacksonville, May (A. M.
N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D. J. R. W.)
Dictyophara lingula Van D. Estero (Van Duzee) ; Punta Gorda,
Lakeland, Nov. (Davis); Ormond (Mrs. Slosson); Punta
Gorda, Nov. (A. M. N. H.) Gainesville (C. J. D. J. R. W.)
Dictyophara microrhina Walk. Jacksonville, Lakeland (Davis) ;
Ft. Myers, Lakeland, Nov. (A. M. N. H.); St. Augustine
(Johnson). Gainesville (J. R. W.)
Scolops spurcus Uhl. Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Scolops angustatus Uhl. St. Augustine (Johnson).
-SUMMER NUMBER . 15
Scolops desiccatus Uhl. Crescent City, Sanford (Van Duzee).
Scolops sulcipes Say. “Florida” (Uhler). Gainesville (J. R. W.) ;
Common over large part of Eastern United States.
Phylloscelis atra Germ. St. Petersburg, Sevenoaks, Ft. Myers and
Estero (Van Duzee); Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Nov.
(A. M. N. H.). Gainesville. Widely distributed.
Phylloscelis atra var. albovenosa Mel.
Phylloscelis pallescens Germ. Estero (Van Duzee).
Tangia sponsa Uhl. “Southern Florida’ (Uhler).
Monopsis tabida Spin. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Catonia picta Van D. Estero (Van Duzee) ; Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Catonia bicinctura, Punta Gorda, Newberry (Van Duzee).
Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Ellidiptera floridae Walk. Newberry (Davis).
Ellidiptera pallida Say. “Florida” (Say).
Bothriocera tinealis Burm. Charlotte Harbor, Biscayne Bay
(Mrs. Slosson). Gainesville (J. R. W. C. J. D.)
Bothriocera signorite ?
Bothriocera undata Fab. ““Was taken everywhere I collected in
Florida” (Van Duzee) ; Lake Worth, Biscayne Bay, Ormond
(Mrs. Slosson).
Oliarus quinquelineatus Say. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson). Com-
mon over Eastern United States.
Oliarus placitus Van D. Ft. Myers, May (Van Duzee) ; Gaines-
eville (C.J. D; J. Re W.). .
Oliarus vicarius Walk. Estero, Ft. Myers, St. Petersburg, Clear-
water, Sevenoaks. (Van Duzee); Jacksonville, Ormond,
Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slosson); Marco, Apr. (A. M.
N. H.); St. Augustine (Johnson). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Oliarus complectus Ball. St. Petersburg, Sevenoaks, Estero (Van
Duzee); Key Largo, Nov. (A. M. N. H.). abundant and
widely distributed.
Oliarus slossoni Van D. Belleair, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Oliarus difficilis Van D. Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
Monorhachis sordulentus Uhl. Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Gainesville.
Civius dorsivittatus Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee) ; Bis-
cayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Everglade, Apr. (A. M. N. H.).
Oecleus borealis Van D. “Abundant at all places, especially to-
wards the southern end of the state” (Van Duzee); Jack-
sonville, Ormond, Atlantic Beach (Mrs. Slosson) Clearwater,
Apr., Sanford, May (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
16 : THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Myndus delicatus Van D. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Myndus slossoni Ball. Crescent City (Van Duzee) ; Biscayne Bay,
Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slosson) ; Crescent City, Sanford,
Apr. (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (J. R. W.). St. Petersburg
CH*O3)
Myndus enotatus Van D. Crescent City, Apr. (Van Duzee, Mrs.
Slosson and A. M. N. H.); Ormond, Charlotte Harbor, Bis-
cayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson) ; Sanford, Apr. (A. M. N. H.); St.
Petersburg (H. O.)
Myndus lunatus Van D. Sanford, Sevenoaks, Ft. Myers, Estero,
(Van Duzee).
Myndus pusillus Van D. Crescent City, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ;
Ormond, Atlantic Beach, Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slosson).
Pelitropis rotulata Van Duz. Ft. Myers, Estero (Van Duzee) ;
Lake Worth, Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson). Gainesville (C.
J :)
Fitchiella robertsoni (Fitch). Estero (Van Duzee) ; St. Peters-
burg “(H.0,)
Bruchomorpha pallidipes Stal. Crescent City, Estero (Van Du-
zee). ,
Bruchomorpha suturalis Melich. ‘Common throughout Florida”
(Van Duzee); Ft. Myers, Lakeland, Newberry, Nov. (A. M.
INCH): P
Bruchomorpha tristis Stal. Crescent City, Estero, Sevenoaks
(Van Duzee).
Bruchomorpha jocosa Stal. Crescent City, Sanford, Sevenoaks,
St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee); Lakeland,
Nov. (A. M. N.-H.).
Aphelonema decorata Van D. Crescent City, St. Petersburg (Van
Duzee) ; Charlotte Harbor (Mrs. Slosson).
Hysteropterum punctiferum Walk. Widely distributed and very
abundant. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson); Clearwater, San-
ford; Tampa (A. M: N. H.).. Gainesville (C. J. D- J. BR: We
Plentiful.
Thionia simplex Germ. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee); Gainesville
(Cee Dad. RaW):
Thionia bullata Say. Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson); Gainesville
(Cre SJR We):
Acanalonia bivittata (Say). Estero (Van Duzee); Gainesville
(CaF. D:).
SUMMER NUMBER 1%
Acanalonia latifrons (Walk.) Tampa, Ft. Myers, Estero (Van
Duzee) ; St. Augustine (Johnson) ; Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slos-
son) ; Lakeland (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D. J. R. W.).
Acanalonia pumila (Van D.) Estero Island (Van Duzee) ; Bis-
cayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson). Cedar Keys, Gainesville (J. R. W.)
Acanalonia conica (Say). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Acanalonia servillei Spin. ‘“‘Florida’” (Uhler); Gainesville (C.
“eel BE
Ormenis proxima (Walk.) “East Florida” (Walker).
Ormenis pruinosa (Say). Sevenoaks, Estero (Van Duzee) ;
Clearwater, Apr. (A. M. N. H.); St. Augustine (Johnson).
Gainesville (J. R. W.)
Ormenis rufifascia (Walk.) Ft. Myers, Estero, Clearwater (Van
Duzee) ; LaGrange, Sept. (Sleight); Sanford, Apr. (A. M.
ING EY.)
Ormenis septentrionalis (Spin.) St. Augustine (Johnson) ;
Gainesville.
Cyarda melichart Van D. “Common everywhere in Florida” (Van
Duzee) ; Sanford, Crescent City, St. Petersburg, Everglade,
Tampa, Jacksonville, Newberry, Lakeland, Punta Gorda, Ft.
Myerseca. vl. N-H:): Gainesville (C: J; Deand J. RieW-):
Blandon, New Smyrna, Bradentown (J. R. W.).
Flatoides punctatus (Walk.) “Taken occasionally at all places
where I collected in Florida’ (Van Duzee); Biscayne Bay,
Jacksonville (Mrs. Slosson) ; Marco, Ft. Myers, Clearwater,
Lakeland, Punta Gorda (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Amalopota fitcha Van D. Gainesville (C. J. D.). Heretofore
known as a northern species and recorded only as far south
as North Carolina.
Otiocerus abbotti Kirby. Jacksonville (A. M. N. H.). Gainesville
(Cyd. D:)
Otiocerus degeert Kirby. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ; Jacksonville
(A. M. N. H. and Davis); “Florida” (Uhler). Gainesville
(CsI Ds).
Cenchrea fulva Van D. Estero (Van Duzee) ; Gainesville (J. R.
W.). Also from Cuba.
Lamenia obscura Ball. Crescent City, Haw Creek (Van Duzee
and A. M. N. H.). Gainesville (C. J. D.).
Copicerus irroratus Schwartz. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Gainesville (C. J. D.).
18 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Stenocranus dorsalis Fitch. Crescent City, Sanford (Van Du-
zee); Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson); Crescent City (A. M.
INS)
Stenocranus dorsalis Fitch. var. lautus Van Duzee.
Stenocranus palaetus Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee and A.
M. N. H.); Everglade, Apr. (A. M. N. H.).
Stenocranus saccharivorus Westw. Tampa (Van Duzee).
Kelisia parvula Ball. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Megamelanus elongatus Ball. Crescent City, St. Petersburg, Es-
tero Island (Van Duzee); Belleair, Biscayne Bay, Ormond
(Mrs. Slosson).
?2Megamelanus spartini Osb. St. Petersburg (Van Duzee) ; Belle-
air (Mrs. Slosson).
Prokelesia marginata Van D. Estero (Van Duzee); Ormond
(Mrs. Slosson).
Megamelus seminigra Stal. “Florida” (Van Duzee).
Macrotomella carinata Van D. Crescent City, Ft. Myers (Van
Duzee).
Pissonotus marginatus Van D. Sevenoaks (Van Duzee).
Pissonotus basalis Van D. Ft. Myers, Estero (Van Duzee).
Pissonotus ater Van D. Crescent City, Tampa, Sevenoaks, Ft.
Myers (Van Duzee) ; Titusville, Nov. (A. M. N. H.).
Pissonotus pallipes Van D. “‘Florida” (Van Duzee).
Pissonotus brunneus Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Pissonotus delicatus Van D. Sevenoaks, Crescent City, Estero
(Van Duzee).
Peregrinus maidis Ashm. Estero (Van Duzee).
Phyllodinus nitens Van D. St. Petersburg, Estero (Van Duzee).
Bostaera nasuta Ball. Tampa, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ; St. Pe-
tersburg (H. O.)
Stobaera affinis Van D. Crescent City, Ft. Myers (Van Duzee) ;
Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Stobaera pallida Osb. Ft. Myers, Estero (Van Duzee) ; Newberry
(A. M. N. H.); Nassau (Crawford) ; Key West (H. O.)
Stobaera quadripustulata Van D. Estero (Van Duzee).
Stobaera concinna Stal. Biscayne Bay, Belleair (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Gainesville (C. J. D.)
Liburniella ornata Stal. Crescent City (Van Duzee).
Liburnia slossoni Ball. Crescent City, Estero (Van Duzee) ; Bis-
cayne Bay, Belleair, Lake Worth, Ormond (Mrs. Slosson).
Liburnia weedi Van D. Sanford, Crescent City (Van Duzee) ;
Punta Gorda (A. M. N. H.)
SUMMER NUMBER 19
Liburnia humilis Van D. Sanford, St. Petersburg (Van Duzee).
Liburnia laminalis Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee) ; Belleair
(Mrs. Slosson).
Liburnia culta Van D. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
Liburnia puella Van D. Crescent City, Sevenoaks (Van Duzee) ;
Biscayne Bay, Belleair (Mrs. Slosson).
Liburnia basivitta Van D. Crescent City (Van Duzee); Jack-
sonville (Mrs. Slosson).
Liburnia osborni Van D. Estero (Van Duzee) ; Lakeland (Brad-
ley).
Liburnia detecta Van D. Crescent City, St. Petersburg (Van Du-
zee) ; Ormond, Biscayne Bay, Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson) ;
Titusville (A. M. N. H.):
Liburnia tuckeri Van D. St. Petersburg (Van Duzee).
Liburnia foveata Van D. Lake Worth (Mrs. Slosson).
Liburnia albolinosa Fowler. Sevenoaks, Estero (Van Duzee) ;
Titusville, LaBelle (A. M. N. H.).
Liburnia teapae Fowl. Biscayne Bay (Mrs. Slosson).
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Lakeland (A. M. N. H.); Biscayne Bay, Belleair (Mrs.
Slosson).
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oe) tl
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Florida Entomologist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VOL. V FALL NUMBER No. 2
OCTOBER, 1921
A HOST PLANT LIST OF APHIDS IN THE VICINITY OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA *
By ARTHUR C. MASON
Our present literature on the insect life of Florida contains
very few references to aphids. In fact, only a few species which
are of economic importance are even mentioned, and nothing
like a list of those occurring in the State has been attempted.
While this paper does not contain a complete list of the plant
lice of Florida or even this section of the State, still it may serve
as a start toward such a list, and may be added to from time
to time.
Previous references include Aphis brassica on cabbage (31)
(32), Myzus persicae on peach and tomatoes (26) (36), Me-
goura solani on tomatoes (35) (386), Aphis gossypw on cotton,
cucurbits, and orange (2) (22) (81) (382), Siphonophora cucur-
bitae on egg-plant (32), Aphis maidis on corn (1), and Tov-
optera graminum on oats (37). These are dealt with purely
from an economic standpoint.
Lists of aphids have been written by several entomologists
for various sections of the country, but none of them cover
Florida. While it is true that a large number of plant lice are
widely distributed and found in practically all the states, some
others may be restricted to this part of the country alone. There-
fore, a complete list for this State should be prepared.
The insects listed were collected over a period of two years
1 Taken from thesis entitled “Systematic and Biological Studies of Some Florida
Aphididae,’’ presented by the writer to the University of Florida in 1915 for the
degree of Master of Science.
This paper constitutes Part I exclusive of sections on methods of collecting,
mounting, etc. Parts II and III together with references cited will appear in later
issues.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Ento-
mologist. Please mention Entomologist when you write our
advertisers.
“Little Gateways to Science,” advertised on back, should be
_ In every home.
22 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
(1913-1915) and during all seasons. They represent those found
on both cultivated crops and wild plants. The former, of course,
are brought to the attention of economic workers much more
often because of their importance to agriculture and also their
greater abundance. The list represents about 30 species of
aphids. Many others collected could not be determined because
of lack of mature specimens or winged forms. Undoubtedly
there are in the state many undescribed species of plant lice
and at least two of these were found.
Permanent mounts were made of all specimens and are in the
author’s collection. Natural colors cannot be retained in mount-
ed slides and color notes must be made from the live specimens.
HOST PLANT LIST OF APHIDS *
Ampelopsis quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Aphis folsomu Davis
Andropogon sorghum var. (sorghum)
Sipha flava Forbes.
Apple—see Pyrus malus
Avena sativa (oats) Aphis avena Fitch
Macrosiphum granaria Buckt.
Myzus persicae Sulz,
Toxoptera graminum Rond.
Bean—see Phaesolus vulgaris
Beet—see Beta vulgaris
Beta vulgaris (beet) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Brassica oleraceae (cabbage) Aphis brassicae L.
Aphis pseudobrassicae Paddock
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Brassica oleraceae var. acephala (collards)
Aphis pseudobrassicae
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Brassica oleraceae var. acephala (kale)
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Brassica oleraceae var. botrytis (cauliflower)
Myzus persicae Sulz.
B. oleraceae var. caulo-rapa (kohl rabi)
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Brassica rapa (turnip) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Cabbage—see Brassica oleraceae
Calabash gourd—see Lagenaria vulgaris
Capsicum annum (pepper) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Carrot—see Daucus carota
Cauliflower—see Brassica oleraceae var. botrytis
Chenopodium viride (Lamb’s quarters)
Myzus persicae Sulz.
1 Credit for the determinations of many of the aphids listed herein is given to
J.J. Davis, Edith M. Patch, and F. B. Paddock.
FALL NUMBER ae
Chloris gavana (Rhodes grass) Macrosiphum sp.
Sipha flava Forbes
Chrysanthemum sp. (Chrysanthemum)
Macrosiphum sanborni Gill.
Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) Aphis gossypu Glov.
Citrus aurantium (orange) Aphis gossypii Glov.
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Toxoptera aurantii Koch.
Collards—see Brassica oleraceae var. acephala
Corn—see Zea Mays
Cotton—see Gossypium herbaceum
Cucumis sativus (cucumber) Aphis gossypu Glov.
Cucumis sp. (musk-melon) Aphis gossypu Glov.
Cucurbita sp. (squash) Aphis gossypii Glov.
Cyperus esculenta (nut grass) Carolinaia sp.
Sipha flava Forbes.
Daucus carota (carrot) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Easter lily—see Lillium longiflorwm
Egg-plant—see Solanum melongena
English ivy—see Hedera helix
Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinsettia) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Gnaphalium spathulatum Aphis gossypu Glov.
Macrosiphum rudbeckiae Fitch.
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Gossypium herbaceum (cotton) Aphis gossypu
(Reported in Bul. 34, Fla.)
Grape—see Vitis sp.
Grasses
Andropogon annulatus
Andropogon barbindoes
Andropogon halepensis (Johnson grass)
Andropogon monticela
Andropogon sericens
Andropogon sp. (Soudan grass)
Anthephora hermaphrodita
Cenchus biflorus
Chaetochloa flava
Chaetochloa aurea
Eleusine coracana
Eragrostis eurouloa
Eulalia japonica zebrina
Melinis multiflora
Panicum antidoldes
Panicum maximum
Panicum hirsutissimum
Paspalum nodosum
Paspalum stoleniferum
Pennisetum glaucum
Pennisetum spicatum
Pennisetum typhoideum
24 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Sorghastrum stipoides
Syntherisma consanguinea
Tricholaena rosea (Natal grass)
Tricholaena wrightii
Sipha flava Forbes
Green briar—see Smilax sp.
Hedera helix (English ivy) Aphis hederae Kaltenbach.
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Helianthus annuus (sunflower) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Hickoria alba Phylloxera caryae-scissa
(Reported by Pergande (30)
Hickoria pecan (pecan) Phylloxera sp.
Hickoria sp. (hickory) Monellia caryella Fitch.
Phylloxera sp.
Phylloxera sp.
Phylloxera sp.
Holly—see Ilex opaca
Hybiscus esculentus (okra) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Hybiscus sp. (hybiscus) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Ilex opaca (holly) Toxoptera aurantiae Koch.
Ipomoea pandurata (moonflower) Aphis gossypu Glov.
Ironweed—see Vernonia angustifolia
Kale—see Brassica oleraceae var. acephala
Kohl rabi—see Brassica oleraceae var. caulo-rapa
Lactuca sativa (lettuce) ; Macrosiphum rudbeckia” Fitch
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Lagenaria vulgaris (calabash gourd) Aphis gossypu Glov.
Lamb’s quarters—see Chenopodium viride
Lettuce—see Lactuca sativa
Lillium longiflorum (Easter lily) Aphis gossypu Glov.
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Lycopersicum esculentum (tomato) Megoura solani Thomas
(Reported Fla. Bul. 125)
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Moonflower—see Ipomoea pandurata
Musk-melon—see Cucumis sp.
Mustard, black—see Sinapis nigra
Nut grass—see Cyperus esculenta
Oats—see Avena sativa
Okra—see Hybiscus esculentus
Orange—see Citrus aurantium
Pansy—see Viola tricolor
Parsnip—see Pastinaca sativa
Pastinaca sativa (parsnip) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Pea—see Pisum sativum
Peach—see Prunus persica
Pecan—see Hickoria pecan
Pepper—see Capsicum annum
Phaesolus vulgaris (garden bean) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Pine—see Pinus taeda
FALL. NUMBER 25
Pinus taeda (pine) Lachnus pini L.
Pisum sativum (garden pea) Macrosiphum pisi L.
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Poinsettia—see Huphorbia pulcherrima
Potato—see Solanum tuberosum
Prunus persica (peach) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Pyrus malus (apple) Aphis pomi DeG.
Radish—see Raphanus sativus
Raphanus sativus (radish) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Rhodes grass—see Chloris gavana
Rosa sp. (rose) Macrosiphum davisi Del G.
Rose—see Rosa sp.
Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane) Sipha flava Forbes
Sinapis nigra (black mustard) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Smilax sp. (green briar) Pemphigus attenuatus Osb.
Solanum melongena (egg-plant) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Siphonophora curcurbitae Middleton.
(Reported from Bul. 34, Fla.)
Solanum tuberosum (potato) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Sonchus asper (spiny-leaved sonchus)
Rhopalosiphum sonchi Oestlund.
Sonchus oleraceus (sow thistle) Rhopalosiphum sonchi Oestlund.
Sophia pinnata (Tansy mustard) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Sorghum—see Andropogon sorghum
Sow thistle—see Sonchus oleraceus
Squash—see Cucurbita sp.
Stizolobium deeringianum (velvet bean)
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Sugar cane—see Saccharum officinarum
Sunflower—see Helianthus annuus
Tansy mustard—see Sophia pinnata
Tomato—see Lycopersicum esculentum
Turnip—see Brassica rapa
Velvet bean—see Stizolobium deeringianum
Vernonia angustifolia (Ironweed) Aphis vernoniae Thos.
Viola tricolor (pansy) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Viola sp. (violet) Myzus persicae Sulz.
Violet—see Viola sp.
Virginia creeper—see Ampelopsis quinquefolia
Vitis sp. (wild grape) Macrosiphum viticola Thos.
Watermelon—see Citrullus vulgaris
Zea Mays (corn) Aphis maidis Fitch
(Reported in Fla. Bul. 2)
Aphis setariae Thos.
Macrosiphum sp.
Myzus persicae Sulz.
Sipha flava Forbes.
Toxoptera graminum Rond.
26 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
MINUTES OF MEETINGS |
LANGUAGE HALL, April 25, 1921.
Society called to order 4:30 p. m. President Watson in the
chair. The paper of the evening was ““Fungus Enemies of the
Walnut Aphis,” by Dr. O. F. Burger. The paper was very in-
teresting and highly appreciated by all present.
Under Timely Notes, Dr. Montgomery stated that the Pink
Boll Worm had been found on four islands of the West Indies.
Mr. Stirling spoke of a new insect that had been reported as
doing considerable damage to cotton in Mexico.
J. Chaffin reported considerable damage being caused by
orange leaf notcher (Artipus floridanus) and Blue Green Citrus
Beetle (Pachnaeus opalus) to citrus and avocado in vicinity of
Little River.
There being no further business, the society adjourned.
J. CHAFFIN, Secretary.
DEFERRED MEETING OF JULY 11, 1921
Meeting was called to order at 4:45 by Prof. J. R. Watson,
the president, in the chair. Mr. Chamberlain, in charge tobacco
insect investigations for the Bur. Ent., U. S. D. A., at Quincy,
Fla., was elected to membership.
Prof. Fattig, the vice president of the Society, having left the
State permanently, this office was declared vacant by a vote of
the Society, and Mr. A. C. Brown elected by acclamation to fill
this vacancy.
It was voted to omit the regular July and August meetings
and have the next meeting in September.
There were present: J. R. Watson, Geo. B. Merrill, A. H.
Beyer, A. C. Brown, J. C. Goodwin, J. H. Montgomery, F. M.
O’Byrne, and E. W. Berger.
The paper of the evening was by Mr. A. H. Beyer, Asst. Ento-
mologist at Experiment Station. Subject: Coccobacillus acri-
diorum as a Factor in Locust Control. Mr. Beyer’s paper con-
sisted of a discussion of his work on this bacterium while he
was in the employ of the U. S. D. A. in 1919. The paper was
of great interest and a brief resume by the author is attached
to these minutes.
Under Brief and Timely Notes Prof. Watson showed a bag-
worm and also a large thrips.
The Society adjourned at 6 p. m.
E. W. BERGER, Secretary pro-tem.
FALL. NUMBER 27
October 5, 1921.
A special meeting and smoker of the Florida Entomological
Society was called to order at 8:30 p. m., President Watson in
the chair. Members present: Berger, Briggs, Brown, Burger,
Chaffin, DeBusk, Goodwin, Hunt, Merrill, Mason, Newell, Mont-
gomery, Reese and Yothers. Several visitors and speakers of
the Citrus Seminar were also present.
The president welcomed the visitors and made a few intro-
ductory remarks, after which business was taken up in the reg-
ular order. On motion and second E. L. Lord, Assistant Pro-
fessor of Horticulture in the Agricultural College, was duly
elected a member of the society.
Mr. W. W. Yothers of the Bureau of Entomology was called
on for a few remarks and he gave a very interesting account of
some of the work and experiments he is carrying on at Orlando
in the control of citrus insect pests. He spoke of the difficulty
of rearing rust mites in confinement and of controlling the Fla.
Red Scale (Chrysomphalus aonidum). He stated that he had
found a 2% emulsion of a heavy viscid oil satisfactory.
Dr. H. A. Morgan, president of the University of Tennessee,
was then called upon. He gave a very humorous and interesting
talk on his experiences as an Entomologist in Louisiana twenty
or thirty years ago. He also gave a brief account of his work
in distributing a parasite of the Harlequin Cabbage bug and his
efforts in helping secure the first Government appropriation
for the eradication of the cattle tick.
Mr. Neal F. Howard of the Bureau of Entomology next gave
some interesting facts in regard to the Mexican bean beetle sit-
uation in Alabama and Georgia.
On motion of Dr. J. H. Montgomery, the Society passed the
following resolution:
“Whereas, the attention of the Society has been directed to
work done by Dr. A. T. Speare of the Bureau of Entomology in
connection with fungi preying upon mealybugs and rust mites,
and
“Whereas, the results so far obtained are extremely promis-
ing and indicate that a natural control of these pests may be
found to be of practical value, and
‘Whereas, in the opinion of the Society, this work should be
prosecuted vigorously and without interruption,
“Therefore, Be it resolved by the Florida Entomological So-
(Continued on page 30)
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
PROFESSOR). WATSON 20 oe eee oe eee Editor
DR? WELUMON NEW Bic) se Seen ee ee Associate Editor
DR Wi. BERGER &: <0 o ene. See en eee eee Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 25 cents per copy.
ENTOMOLOGICAL PAPERS AT THE CITRUS SEMINAR
On Oct. 5 Mr. W. W. Yothers read a paper on ‘Some Funda-
mentals of Grove Pest Control.” He stated that there are three
possible viewpoints: (1) To do nothing, leaving the control of
the pests to their natural enemies. (2) To take such measures
as will reduce their numbers to the point of commercial control.
This will necessitate frequent repetitions of the control mea-
sures. (3) To eradicate the pest—expensive in the first costs
but perhaps often cheapest in the end. Which method should
be pursued will depend upon the insect. Or a combination of
the methods will often be most practical.
Mr. Yothers also read a very valuable paper by Dr. A. T.
Speare of the U. S. Bur. of Ent., founded on work done in Mr.
Yothers’ laboratory at Orlando. It has long been a matter of
common observation that the citrus rust mites and mealy bugs
tend to disappear with the advent of the rainy season. It has
been generally supposed that this was due to their being washed
off by the heavy rains. But according to Dr. Speare the true
cause is the rapid development of two fungi under the influence
of the high humidity of the rainy season. The fungus which
infects the rust mites is a species of Cordiceps. Infected rust
mites may be recognized by their shrunken appearance and of
course absence of movement. The fungus which attacks the
mealy bugs is an undescribed species of Extomophora. Infested
mealy bugs may be recognized by their soft spongy texture.
Under a sharp knife they can be cut like cheese.
These discoveries are not only of great scientific interest but
of equal practical importance. If a grower finds that one of
these fungi is rapidly developing in his grove, under suitable
28
FALL NUMBER 29
weather conditions he may often safely leave the control of the
pest to the fungus, and save the cost of spraying.
Another paper on entomogenous fungi was read by Dr. E. W.
Berger, who gave a brief account of his growing, in pure cul-
tures, of two fungi hitherto not so grown and of his discovery
of a new strain of the Red Whitefly-Fungus.
The new fungi are Aschersonia goldiana on Cloudy-winged
Whitefly from Cuba (specimens received at the Experiment Sta-
tion) and on an unknown aleyrodid from Winter Park, Florida;
and the Cuban Aschersonia found infecting the Pyriform Scale,
and Liriodendron Scale in Florida, and the Tessellated Scale in
Porto Rico.
The new strain of the Red Whitefly-Fungus was discovered
on some holly and bay leaves sent in from a hammock at Winter
Park, Fla. It fruits freely in the culture bottles during summer,
a fact which has not been true for the other strains heretofore
grown. This fact will make it possible to grow it in smaller
quantities during summer as needed, thus always assuring a
fresher product than heretofore when the whole crop had to
be grown in late winter and early spring and kept in cold stor-
age. Indications are that it is also an unusually virile strain.
Prof. J. R. Watson presented the results of some recent ex-
periments on spraying for thrips. He exhibited a table giving
the results of spraying to lessen thrip marks on fruit. This
covered the results in seven groves from Lake to St. Lucie
counties. In groves where the thrips averaged from 25 to 64
per bloom, about half of the unsprayed fruit was marked to
such an extent as to lower its grade from brights to goldens if
otherwise perfect. 388% of this scarring was prevented by a
single spraying. This repaid the cost of spraying many times
ever. Groves in which the thrips averaged 10 per bloom did
not repay the cost of spraying for thrips alone. But where they
were being sprayed at blossoming time for rust mite or scab the
additional cost of adding 34, pt. of Black Leaf 40 per 100 gallons
was repaid twice over.
The proper time to spray is when the trees are in full bloom,
and the proper solution at least 1 pt. of Black Leaf 40 to 100
gallons of the rust mite spray solution.
Mr. Neal F. Howard gave an interesting account of the Mexi-
can Bean Beetle investigations of the Bur. of Entomology, U. S.
D. A., in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. There appears to be
no hope of stopping the beetles and growers of legumes will have
30 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
to plan substituting other crops and immune species. Fortu-
nately, the velvet bean, both bush varieties and climber, are
immune, except that the adult beetles do feed some upon them,
so that this bean may have to be substituted as a cover crop and
forage in place of cow peas and beggar weed. Snap beans appear
doomed. The use of poisons in its control have proved unsatis-
factory. Investigations in Mexico, in search of natural enemies,
have so far been fruitless.
Mr. Chaffin read a paper on mealy bugs. This is printed
elsewhere in this journal.
MINUTES OF MEETINGS
(Continued from page 27)
ciety, in special session at Gainesville October 5, 1921, that Dr.
Speare be congratulated upon the success which has so far at-
tended his efforts, and
“Further, That the Secretary of the Society communicate with
the Chief of Bureau of Entomology expressing the hope of the
Society that Dr. Speare will be assigned to further investiga-
tional work in Florida to the end that this work be completed.”
There being no further business, the Society adjourned.
J. CHAFFIN, Secretary.
PERSONALS
Among our out of town members present at the Citrus Sem-
inar were W. W. Yothers and A. C. Mason of the U. S. Ent. Lab.
at Orlando; E. F. DeBusk, County Agent of Lake; W. R. Briggs,
Agent for Manatee County; Mr. Seth Walker of the Citrus Ex-
change; Mr. K. E. Bragdon, formerly County Agent of Brevard
but now Field Agent with the Citrus Exchange Supply Co.;
and Mr. C. M. Hunt, Assistant Nursery Inspector.
Miss Evelyn Osborn, formerly Assistant in Entomology in
the Experiment Station, was on Aug. 27 married to Mr. Chas.
M. Knapp of Syracuse, N. Y.
Prof. Carl J. Drake received the degree of Ph. D. from Ohio
State University in June. He has been spending the summer
in Mississippi, Arizona, and California.
W.S. Blatchley received the degree of LL. D. from the Uni-
versity of Indiana in June. Dr. Blatchley is one of less than
a dozen to receive this degree from Indiana University. He
expects to return to his winter home in Dunedin shortly.
FALL NUMBER Si
The stork has recently visited the homes of two of our mem-
bers, Mr. Geo. Merrill and Mr. W. W. Yothers. Both girls.
Mr. P. W. Fattig is now teaching biology in the State Normal
School at Farmville, Va.
MEALYBUGS
By JEFF CHAFIN
Mealybugs are one of the most widely distributed group of
insects known; they occur in practically every country in the
world and attack nearly every cultivated and wild plant. If it
were not for the fact that they have a large number of natural
enemies they would no doubt do serious damage to many of our
most valuable crops. They seem to thrive best and do the most
damage in tropical and subtropical climates. We probably have
forty or fifty different species in this State, but of that number
there are only three or four that do very much damage. How-
ever, many of the most injurious species have not been intro-
duced into Florida.
One species that we do not have does serious damage to
sugar cane in Cuba. California has two species that do consider-
able damage: Baker’s mealybug which attacks the grape, and the
citrophilus mealybug which prefers citrus. They have made
several unsuccessful efforts to control and eradicate these pests.
These two species are probably the most injurious mealybugs
in the United States and neither of them is present in Florida
at the present time. There are no doubt many other species
in the United States, as well as in the tropical countries, that
would do serious damage if brought to this State.
The mealybug that does the most damage in Florida at the
present time is the Common Citrus Mealybug (Pseudococcus
citri) which is a serious pest in our ornamental nurseries and
greenhouses and sometimes becomes very numerous in citrus
groves during dry seasons. During the dry spell last summer
they did more damage than usual all over the citrus belt. This
particular species is present all over the United States but it
seems to do the most damage here. We do not hear of it causing
any damage in California, so either their climatic conditions are
unfavorable for it or they have some natural enemy that we do
not have.
The next of importance is the Cocoanut Mealybug (P. nipae)
which is always present on trees and ornamentals in the south-
ern part of this State. During the dry spell last summer the
32 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
avocados, mangoes, sapodillas, palms, many other ornamental
‘plants in Fort Myers were covered with this insect. The sooty
mold, growing on the honey dew excreted by the pest, made a
very unsightly appearance and, of course, the fruit and plants
were damaged. This species apparently does not have as many
natural enemies as the common citrus mealybug and is just as
hard if not harder to control.
Another species that is beginning to play an important part
is the Pineapple Mealybug (P. bromeliae) which did quite a bit
of damage to several pineapple plantings down the east coast
this year. This pest prefers the pineapple and was probably
brought to this State several years ago on imported pineapple
slips.
The life cycle of a mealybug is short and a female will lay
from three to five hundred eggs; so if conditions are favorable
it takes only a short time for them to become very numerous
regardless of the fact that they have a large number of natural
enemies. They have insect friends that protect them and aid in
their multiplication. Several species of ants will carry the
young mealybugs around and protect them in order that they
may secure the honeydew secreted by the pest. The most active
ant along this line is the Argentine ant, which we do not have
in this State at the present time.
Owing to the large number of host plants, rotation of crops
would do very little good in the control of mealybugs. Some of
the most important natural enemies are some hymenopterous
parasites, lady beetles and the larvae of syrphid and lace-wing
flies.
Mealybugs are covered with a wax-like secretion and the eggs
are deposited in a mass of this material, so spraying with a
strong insecticide has very little effect. When the rainy season
begins, the severe infestations disappear, so spraying with clear
water under high pressure to wash the insects from the tree has
been recommended by the best Entomologists for years, but any-
one who has had much experience spraying for mealybugs knows
that any kind of solution or pressure gives very poor results.
Quite recently one of the field men of the Bureau of Ento-
mology discovered an unnoticeable fungus attacking the mealy-
bug and when the rainy season began this year this fungus com-
pletely destroyed the severe infestations in several groves that
he had under: observation. Personally, I believe their disappear-
ance during rainy weather is due to this fungus rather than the
FALL NUMBER oo
rain. If this is the case, our problem is to induce this fungus
to thrive during dry weather or find some parasite that will
hold the mealybug in check until the rainy season begins.
IT PAYS TO CONTROL RUST MITE
J. G. GROSSENBACHER
Strange to say, the rust mite is not an insect but is more
closely related to spiders. It is a near kin of the itch mite,
“red bugs,’ red spiders, and cattle ticks. It feeds on all new
green growth of trees: leaves, fruit and twigs. It seems to live
on juices taken from trees, particularly the oil. However, if
these mites consumed all the oil from the glands they open we
would have no real rusty fruit. In fact, the rusty appearance
of fruit, leaves and twigs is due to the oil oozing from glands
that had been tapped by the mites. The oil flowing from the
punctured glands spreads out more or less over the rind of the
fruit and during nights of heavy dew or light showers may run
down the sides of the fruit in narrow bands; the exposure of
these thin layers of oil to the air causes the oil to break down
or oxidize and change to a dark color, thus resulting in rust and
where it had run down the fruit in streaks to “‘tearstaining.”
There is another effect that the exuding oil has on young fruit
and other newly developed parts of trees that should be men-
tioned in this connection. In 1914 and 1915, I punctured a large
number of oil glands on newly hardened young twigs and half-
grown oranges with a very fine pointed needle under a lens.
The punctured areas were marked and kept under observation
during some weeks. Small amounts of oil escaped from each
pricked oil sack and spread over tiny spots and areas, the shape
of which depended upon the action of gravity on the escaping
oil. After a few days the distribution of the oil was definitely
and clearly shown by brown spots of the exact size and shape of
the oil-covered area. In order to make a further test of the
effects of orange oil on the epidermal tissues of fruit, leaves
and twigs of orange and grapefruit, a small quantity of this oil
was obtained and applied with an atomizer so as to cover the
surface with tiny spots of oil; in other cases the application was
continued until the oil spots became so numerous and close to-
gether that they eventually touched and thus covered consider-
able areas completely with a continuous film of orange oil. The
result was interesting in that in case of the light applications
every point, formerly occupied by oil-dust particles delivered by
34 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
the atomizer, was shown by a tiny brown spot. Where the ap-
plications had been so heavy that considerable areas were cov-
ered with a continuous film, these areas showed up of the same
size and shape as brown blotches. On closer examination the
outer skin of these oil covered spots was found to have been
killed, leaving a rough outer surface consisting of broken, dead
skin tissue adhering to an imperfect substitution skin under-
neath. In a few cases of extra heavy application of orange oil
the entire bark was killed to the wood on twigs as large as a
lead pencil, thus resulting in the death of the twigs.
In making these tests with needle pricks and atomizer, I was
trying out a suspicion that melanose and ammoniation spots
may be due to the bursting of oil glands and the consequent
exudation of their contents to the outer surface where the effect
of the oil would damage the epidermal layer or outer skin of
newly grown leaves, fruit, and twigs. It is evident that the oil
is a factor in the development of melanose and ammoniation or
dieback spots but the reasons for the escape of the oil from the
sacks to the outside must be found before a full explanation can
be given. In case of the disease known as melanose it appears
that probably abortive infections from spores of the stem-end-
rot fungus permit the leakage of the oil and thus result in
melanose spots.
Coming back now to the appearance we call rust, one need
only examine a very rusty orange that had an early infection,
with a hand lens, to see that the outer skin has been killed and
that its broken fragments are adhering to an imperfect inner
one. This is true only of russeting that is due to an early attack
of rust mites on fruit. In case rust mite does not become very
numerous until after the fruit has attained considerable size,
however, the oil injury following is not so serious and usually
gives rise to smooth russets. The rough russets due to the early
attacks of rust mites are commonly called buck-skin or shark-
skin fruits.
The effects, then, of rust mite on fruit are considerable and
various, depending upon the relative earliness and intensity of
the infestation and on the weather conditions prevailing during
the period of greatest activity. For example, tear-staining can
probably result only during periods of comparatively dry weather
so that the exuded oil accumulating in spots of intense mite
activity may be carried down the sides of fruit in streaks by
dew deposits thus allowing concentrated action of the oil, while
FALL NUMBER Be
rains probably dilute the oil to such a degree and wash it off
so quickly that no discoloration can result in streaks. Again, a
comparatively late attack of the mite will result only in smooth
russets and practically no buck-skin effects. In any case, how-
ever, it is evident to everyone who observes the presence and
activities of the enormous numbers of mites on heavily infested
trees that the devitalizing effects of this pest on trees must be
more in proportion to their numbers than to their size.
The immediate and most striking loss to growers due to the
unhindered development of rust mites in bearing groves is of
two kinds: the discoloration of the rind of fruit, and stunting
effect on the fruit growth occasioned by the injuries on the
rind. The devitalizing effects on trees necessarily also affects
fruit size but probably tells heavier on the performance of trees
the following season.
(Excerpt from Citrus Leaf No. 7, published May 1, 1921, by the Florida
Insecticide Company, Apopka, Florida.)
The negro caretaker of the Reid Bryan nursery reports that
he has sprayed every month with ’’miserable oil.” Some of it
is, we'll say!
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When writing to advertisers mention The Florida Entomologist
Now is the time to spray trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. We handle the
DRY LIME SULPHUR
It saves freight on water and expense of handling. Ship-
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Five pounds to one hundred gallons water for rust mite,
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By EpDITH M. PaAtcH, Entomologist, University of Maine
A series replete with accurate information which is neither too
technical nor too sentimental to appeal to children. The
first two books in this series are now ready.
FIRST BOOK—HEXAPOD STORIES School Edition 90c
For second and third grades. This book, which on its scientific
merits has the cordial endorsement of many distinguished ento-
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nature study as the American Museum of Natural History, and
Cornell University. Hexapod Stories has found its way into
public schools from Maine to California and into home libraries
as widely scattered. The volume ends with some good advice to
teachers and a helpful bibliography.
SECOND BOOK—BIRD STORIES School Edition $1.00
For fourth and fifth grades. A book of bird biographies which
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who is also a naturalist.
THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS, Ine.
a
Ghe
Florida Entomologist
Official Organ of the Florida Entomological Society
VOL. V WINTER NUMBER No. 3
JANUARY, 1922
ON SOME NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN TINGIDAE
(HEMIP.)*
By CARL J. DRAKE
Corythucha baccharidis n. sp.
Antennae clothed with a few long hairs. Rostrum reaching almost to the
end of the rostral sulcus. Pronotum with the lateral carinae short, curved,
strongly raised, each composed of two cells and terminating about equi-
distant from the hood and median carina; median carina strongly elevated
anteriorly, rather short, not quite half as long as the hood, its height a
little more than half its length, composed of five or six cells (two rows
anteriorly). Paranota with the reticulations smaller than those of the
hood, the outer margins armed with a double row of spines (extra sub-
marginal row as in C. mcelfreshi). Hood prominent, broad, moderately
elevated, slightly constricted at the middle, not strongly narrowed ante-
riorly, slightly broader than high, the width about seven-tenths of the
length. Costal margins of the elytra slightly incurved or nearly straight,
the spines moderately long and extending to the basal third. Tumid eleva-
tions of elytra large and rounded; costal area largely triseriate (two to
three rows of areolae). Length (male), 4.1 mm.; width, 2.8 mm. The
female is a little larger and broader than the male.
General color yellowish white, the fuscous markings more prominent than
in C. mcelfreshi. Most of the nervelets of the hood, save sides of anterior
portion, a large spot on median carina, a spot on the tumid elevation, part
of sutural area, and the basal and apical cross-bands of elytra fuscous. The
apical band has a rather broad hyaline streak and forms almost a double
cross-band. Areolae hyaline, partly clouded in the fuscous areas. Body
beneath dark reddish brown or black.
Several specimens, collected on Baccharis sp. at Paradise Keys,
Fla., Feb., by Dr. E. A. Schwarz; one specimen, Miami, Fla.,
Aug. 2, 1902, by Mr. Russell. Type (male, Nat. Mus., No.
25,183), Paradise Keys, Feb. 19, E. A. Schwarz. The paratypes
*Contributions from the Department of Entomology, New York State
College of Forestry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y., No. 37.
We recommend the goods advertised in The Florida Ento-
mologist. Please mention Entomologist when you write our
advertisers.
38 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
show considerable variation in color. In general appearance
and color, the species closely resembles C. meelfreshi Drake
(type and 3 other specimens before me), but readily separated
from it by the much shorter lateral carinae, less constricted hood,
larger tumid elevation of the elytra, shorter median carina and
triangular process of pronotum, and the more prominent color
markings.
Leptostyla malpigheae n. sp.
Akin to L. tumida Champion, but easily distinguished by its
much smaller and less elevated hood and the median carina.
Length, 3.91 mm.; width, 1.85 mm.
Antennae long and slender; first segment a little longer than the fourth
and almost three and a half times the length of the second; third segment
long, three and two-thirds times the length of the fourth. Head with five
rather long slender spines, the anterior spines (especially median) usually
longer than the latero-posterior ones. Rostrum reaching almost to the end
of rostral sulcus, the rostral laminae strongly elevated. Hood moderately
large, very much smaller than in twmida; the anterior margin of head, the
tips of the spines and the entire triangular portion of pronotum not con-
cealed by the hood; the length almost three times its height. Median carina
slightly shorter than hood and almost as highly elevated, the length a little
greater than its height, strongly and angularly raised slightly in front of
the middle (two to three rows of cells). Lateral carinae very short, each
composed of a long triangular cell. Paranota greatly dilated, recurved and
rounded, with four rows of areolae at widest part; the areolae large. Elytra
moderately elongate, narrow at the base, widening distally, very similar to
tumida; costal area with one row of areolae at the base, increasing to three
or four at the middle, the areolae large; subcostal area mostly biseriate,
usually one row at the base, discoidal area short, rather broad, with three
rows of areolae, the anterior side more strongly raised.
General color testaceous, the areolae iridescent and hyaline. Median
spine on the head, a spot on median carina, and an oblique fascia, slightly
rounded and occupying two depressed rows of areolae on elytra, fuscous.
Marginal nervures of paranota and some of the nervelets along the margin
of costal area fuscous. Legs and antennae testaceous, the tips of tarsi and
(usually) inner side of first antennal segment infuscated.
Many nymphs and several adults, taken on Malpigea urens
Linn. at San Diego de los Bano, Pinar del Rio, Cuba, by John-
ston Ballon, March 27, 1921. Type (male) No. 25,184 U. 8.
N. M. This insect is also somewhat allied to L. mcelfreshi Drake
from Hayti, but the latter is much larger, and differs greatly in
the structure of the hood, paranota, carinae and elytra.
Megalocysta championi n. sp.
Readily separated from M. pellucida Champion by its much
smaller, less elevated hood (not covering any part of triangular
WINTER NUMBER 39
. process), broader paranota and well developed carinae. Length,
6.57 mm.; width, 3.7 mm.
Antennae rather long, the third segment three and a half times the
length of the fourth. Pronotum tricarinate, the lateral and median carinae
well developed, the former diverging posteriorly. Paranota moderately wide,
rounded, biseriate, the areolae rather large. Bucculae not contiguous in
front. Hood moderately large, not covering the anterior portion of the
head nor any part of the triangular process of pronotum, the length about
twice its height, the areolae very large and irregular. Elytra faintly con-
stricted a little beyond the middle, broadly rounded at the tips; costal area
from three to four seriate at the widest part, the areolae large and irregu-
larly arranged; subcostal area mostly triseriate, the discoidal area raised,
with four rows of areolae at widest part, the areolae about equal in size to
those of subcostal area. The nervures of hood, paranota and elytra are
large and much coarser than in pellucida.
General color yellowish brown, with a few fuscous markings. Areolae
of hood fuscous, non-transparent. Legs and antennae yellowish brown, the
tips of tarsi and apical segments of the latter dark fuscous. Paranota and
elytra with the areolae mostly hyaline (a few cells near the apex of the
elytra partly clouded), some of the nervelets partly fuscous. Body beneath
dark yellowish brown.
One specimen, a female, from Brazil. Type in my collection.
This species somewhat modifies the generic description of Mega-
locysta Champion, the bucculae being either closed (pellucida)
or open (championi). The lateral carina, omitted in the original
description, are only slightly developed and are entirely covered
by the hood. Specimens of pellucida from Panama (collected
by Dr. E. A. Schwarz) differ from the original description, and
a cotype before me, in having the paranota partly biseriate and
lateral carinae slightly more developed. Named in honor of Dr.
G. C. Champion, who founded the genus.
Galeatus schwarzi n. sp. (Fig. 1)
_ Very distinct and readily separated from G. peckhami Ashm.
by its much smaller size, the much larger hood and more strongly
inflated posterior triangular portion of pronotum and differently
formed paranota. Length, 2.95 mm.; width, 1.22 mm.
Head armed with long, rather stout, blunt spines; two anterior spines,
one on each side of median line porrect or with the tips more or less con-
verging; median and latero-posterior spines appressed closely to the head.
Antennae slender, rather long, the first segment about twice the length of
the second; third segment slightly curved, one and a half times the length
of fourth, the latter clothed with numerous fine hairs. Rostrum reaching
to the end of rostral sulcus. Pronotum smooth, slightly shining, not very
closely punctured, tricarinate; lateral carinae very short, each composed
of a single, flap-like cell; median carina very strongly foliaceous, short,
about half as long as the head, connected with the median nervure of the
40 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
latter near the middle and extending upward to join the median nervure
of the inflated posterior portion of pronotum near the crest, composed of
two long cells, the anterior cell very narrow. Hood large, the greatest
height, length and width about equal, extending a little in front of the
head, with a distinctly impressed area in front, the areolae large and mi-
nutely sculptured. Inflated posterior portion of pronotum large, about as
high as the hood, the areolae large and minutely sculptured. Paranota
strongly reflexed, short, its height noticeably less than that of the hood,
composed of four very wide and short areolae and one long narrow areola
in front of the others. Elytra much longer than the pronotum, slightly
constricted beyond the middle, the areolae very large; costal area uniseri-
ate, with an extra triangular cell at the constriction, subcostal area uni-
seriate. Wing considerably longer than the abdomen.
Fig. 1—Galeatus Schwarzi Drake.
General color fuscous-brown. Nervures of lacy portions brown and
somewhat infuscated, some of the areolae slightly smoky and cloudy. Legs
and antennae lighter, the tip of the latter fuscous.
Two females and a male, collected at Paraiso, Canal Zone,
Panama, Jan. 21, 22 and.23, 1911, by Dr: BE. A. Schwarz ine
specimens are all macropterous; type (female, Jan. 23) No.
25,151 U. S. N. M. This species has the general appearance of
Dicysta Champ. but the very large cell readily distinguishes it
from the members of that genus.
Gargaphia mexicana n. sp.
Differing from G. amorphae Walsh and G. tiliae Walsh in the
angularly expanded paranota, the somewhat cone-shaped hood
and the more strongly raised point (occupying two cells a little
WINTER NUMBER Al
in front of the middle) of the median carina. Length, 4.15 mm.;
width, 2 mm.
Antennae long, clothed with numerous long hairs; first segment two and
a half times as long as the second; third segment very slender, two and
a third times as long as the fourth, the latter a little longer than the first
and second conjoined. Rostrum reaching almost to the end of rostral sulcus,
the rostral laminae strongly elevated. Paranota angularly expanded, with
four rows of areolae at its widest part. Hood somewhat conical, moderately
elevated. Carinae rather strongly elevated, each composed of a single row
of rather large areolae; median carina with a strongly raised arched place
a little in front of the middle (much more so than in tiliae or amorphae).
Costal area of the elytra with four rows of areolae at the widest place;
subcostal area biseriate; discoidal area with four rows of areolae at widest
part, not quite so broadly expanded at the apex as in amorphae. Paranota,
carinae, pronotum moderately hairy. Basal portion of elytra sparsely hairy.
Antennae and legs brownish, the tarsi and fourth antennal segments
black. Head and eyes black, the spines brown or testaceous. Thorax be-
neath black, the rostral laminae and bucculae yellowish brown. Abdomen
beneath reddish brown to nearly black. Hood, carinae and elytra testa-
ceous, four or five oblique nervures of the latter and a small spical spot
in discoidal area brown or fuscous. Pronotum blackish.
One female and three male specimens, taken at Tampico
(xii-5) and Tamos (xii-7-09) Mexico, by F. C. Bishop. Type
No. 25,187 U. S. N. M. (female) from Tampico, Mexico.
Gargaphia tiliae Walsh
This species is identical with G. fasciata Stal from Illinois.
Gibson, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., XLV, 1919, p. 191,196, has
erroneously treated fasciata Stal (specimens from Alabama det.
fasciata by Champion) and the latter cannot be given specific
rank. Tiliae is a rather variable species in size, length of spines
on the head and color of elytra. In many specimens there is no
darkening of the nervures (forming a transverse fascia) of the
elytra. The costal and subcostal areas are variable in size and
number of rows of areolae.
Gargaphia munda Stal
This is a common and widely distributed species in South
America. Leptostyla lineifera Walker (fide Blair of British
Museum) is a synonym of munda. G. magna Gibson is a very
closely related species.
Gargaphia condensa Gibson
G. condensa Gibson and G. carinata Gibson are identical and
were described from the same series of specimens from Santa
Rita Mountains, Arizona. Condensa is very closely related to
G. iridenscens Champion.
42 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Acanthocheila kahavalu Kirkaldy
In the Kirkaldy Collection, National Museum, Washington,
D. C., there is one example of this insect from Challanga, Peru,
labeled ‘type’ and I designate this specimen as the type (Nat.
Mus. No. 25,152) of the species. I have also examined the fol-
lowing specimens from Bolivia; two from Cochabamba, one from
Marcapata and three from Pachitea.
Leptodictya leinahoni Kirkaldy
The genus Hanuala of Kirkaldy, Bull. Soc. Ent., France, 1905,
p. 216, is identical with the genus Leptodictya of Stal and, as
the latter has priority, leinahoni should be transferred to this
genus. In the Kirkaldy Collection (Nat. Mus.) there is a single
specimen from Mapiri, Bolivia, labeled “type”, which I designate
as the type (No. 25,062 U. S. N. M.) of the species. I have also
examined specimens from Peru (Cozoo, Coll. Gay) and Bolivia
(two from Mapiri, one from Lopax (Yungas), and ten from
Cochabamba).
Acvsta brasiliensis n. sp.
Very distinct and distinguished at once from the known spe-
cies of the genus by the biseriate costal area and the very narrow
carina-like paranota. The head is armed with five spines, the
antero-lateral ones short and projecting forward. Length, 4.3
mm.; width, 2.1 mm.
Antennae slender, rather long, the third segment two and a half times
the length of the fourth. Rostrum reaching to the meso-metasternal su-
ture. Head short, very sparsely pubescent. Pronotum coarsely punctured,
narrowed anteriorly, moderately clothed with rather long, fine pubescence,
tricarinate, the lateral carinae present only on the posterior portion of the
pronotum, the median carina very distinct and prominent. Paranota very
narrow, extending along the entire margin of pronotum, composed of a
single row of very tiny areolae, the posterior two or three cells a little
larger than the others. Elytra very sparsely and finely pubescent, consid-
erably longer than the abdomen, each elytron with two raised prominent
laterally compressed, point-like structures; costal area uniformly biseriate,
the areolae rather large and mostly pentagonal; subcostal area with four
rows of areolae; discoidal area very distinct, with four to five rows of
areolae at its widest part, and areolae of discoidal and subcostal areas small
and subequal in size; sutural area broad, the areolae becoming larger
distally. Wings a little longer than the abdomen. Male claspers large and
strongly curved.
Color: Head black, the spines testaceous. Eyes reddish or black. An-
tennae testaceous, the spical segment fuscous. Pronotum dark brown, the
paranota, collum and posterior portion of triangular process, and the
median carina, except central portion, testaceous. Elytra testaceous, the
four prominent raised point-like structures brown with fuscous tips, a large
eee eel OOOO MA"-.C COO
WINTER NUMBER 43
spot in discoidal area, and a slightly smaller one (just opposite) in subcostal
area, brown. These two spots, formed by embrowned nervures, form an
irregular transverse fascia, extending from the costal area to the inner
margin of discoidal area thru the raised point-like protuberance. Body
beneath dark brown or blackish, the abdomen more or less tinged with red.
Type (female) No. 25,185 U.S. N. M. from Para, Brazil, col-
lected by C. F. Baker. Some of the paratypes have the paranota,
lateral carinae and most of the median carinae dark brown like
the pronotum. One specimen has the subcostal area composed
largely of four rows of areolae instead of three.
Leptoypha morrisoni n. sp.
Somewhat akin to L. binotata Champ., but readily separated
from it and from allied forms occurring in the United States
by the narrow, uniseriate subcostal area; the costal area is ex-
tremely narrow and strongly reflexed, carina-like, the areolae
very tiny and mostly indistinct.
Elongate and narrow. Head smooth, somewhat shining, the latero-pos-
terior spines short and the three anterior spines wanting. Rostrum reach-
ing a little beyond the meso-metasternal suture. Antennae rather long,
moderately stout; first segment a little shorter and slightly thicker than the
second, the latter slightly enlarged towards the tip; third segment slightly
curved, almost two and one-third times as long as the fourth, the latter
slightly more than twice as long as the first and second conjoined. Pro-
notum rather coarsely punctured, the lateral carinae wanting, the median
carina distinct but only faintly raised. Elytra elongate, widest at a little
beyond the base, faintly constricted beyond the middle; discoidal area broad,
with about eight or nine rows of areolae at its widest part, the areolae of
subcostal and discoidal areas about equal in size; sutural area broad, the
areolae becoming larger distally. The pronotum (except disc), especially
the posterior triangular portion, moderately and finely pubescent, the pu-
bescence on the elytra rather sparse.
General color brownish. Antennae brown, the first, second and distal
two-thirds of fourth segments infuscated. Pronotum reddish brown, the
collum and apex of triangular process lighter, the deeply impressed calli
black. Elytra brown or yellowish brown, with numerous veins in sutural
area, and usually a large spot near the middle and another smaller one near
the apex of discoidal area fuscous. Eyes reddish or black. Body beneath
dark brown or blackish, sometimes slightly tinged with red.
Length (male) 3.11 mm.; width 1.05 mm. The female is more
robust, larger, and the fuscous markings are not as prominent.
Described from 3 males and one female, the latter with the head
wanting.
San Pedro de Macoris, Rep. Dom., W. I., collected July 15, 1917,
by Mr. Harold Morrison. Type (male) No. 25,150 U. S. N. M.
This species is named in honor of Mr. Harold Morrison, who has
(Continued on page 48)
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
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tily. Prices, postpaid, are 90 cents and $1.00, respectively.
THE TORONTO MEETING.—The editor has just returned from
the meeting of the Am. Ass. for the Advancement of Science at
Toronto. Meeting with the Association, as usual, were the
American Entomological Society and the Am. Association of
Economic Entomologists. Some papers on entomological sub-
jects were read at the meetings of the Ecological Society of
America which also held one joint meeting with the entomolo-
gists as did also the phytopathologists. The meeting was quite
successful, over 1800 being in attendance, and favored with very
mild weather. Other members of our Society in attendance were
Prof. Herbert Osborn, H. L. Dozier of Ohio State and Dr. Carl J.
Drake of Syracuse, N. Y., and Mr. C. S. Weigel of U. S. Bureau
of Ent. Another former Floridian met was Dr. Sherbakoff of
the Tennessee station.
The Entomologists’ dinner on Friday evening was a particu-
larly enjoyable affair. As Toronto was the birthplace and 1921
the 32d anniversary of the formation of the Association of Eco-
nomic Entomologists the addresses were largely of a reminiscent
nature. The circumstances of the founding of the Association
were recounted by some of the ‘‘old imagoes” for the benefit of
the “second instar nymphs.” 2,39; 3,49; 4,46; 5, 38; 6, 46; 7, 7; -8, 11 microns:
Total length 0.26 mm. Wings with about 22 strong bristles on costa, 16
on anterior vein and 13 on posterior. Second segment of antennae much
lighter in color than in female; lighter than the first. Testes yellow-
ish brown by transmitted light, yellow by reflected.
Larvae brownish yellow, legs and tip of abdomen lighter. Eyes dark.
Described from thirty females and four males collected by Dr. 8. C.
Bruner in Santiago de las Vegas and on the Peninsula de Guanahacabibes,
Cuba, on oranges, avocadoes, hibiscus, Moringa. Type in the author’s col-
lection.
Close to F’. cephalica melanommatus Bagnal, of which it is probably only
a Cuban race, but differs in the color and form of the second antennal
segment which projects but little dorsally and not at all forward over
segment 3, in the larger number of spines on the posterior vein of the
fore wings (in both sexes) and in the split end of the last abdominal
segment, and especially in the long, stout, curved bristles.
It can be told at a glance from F’. cephalica masoni by the lighter color
and the character of the second antennal segment.
Ghe
FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
Official Organ of The Florida Entomological Society, Gainesville,
Florida.
RR WV A TSON 22 tes soe 8c eA ie eee ee Editor
VVATTNNTOING INE Willig lies oie ee eS ear giae et aemeen! Associate Editor
ViNWE aN Raed ESIST 0 sear Pe Tame. Sooo tw Aga oe. Business Manager
Issued once every three months. Free to all members of the
Society.
Subscription price to non-members is $1.00 per year in ad-
vance; 85 cents per copy.
MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY
Dec. 11, 1925.—Meeting called to order by Vice-President
Bates. Members present: Bates, Berger, Bratley, Hubbell,
Merrill, Rogers, Watson; visitors: Grossman, Inman, Tissot.
Dr. M. D. Leonard of Orlando, entomologist of Wilson Toom-
er Fertilizer Co., was elected a member of the society.
Mr. Watson gave the paper of the evening on “The Reactions
of Whiteflies to Light, Heat, Gravity, and Certain Chemicais
with Some Comparisons with the Behavior of Scale Crawlers
and Rust Mites to the Same Stimuli.”
Jan. 8, 1926.—Meeting called to order by Secretary Bratley.
Members present: Berger, Bratley, Gray, Hubbell, Merrill, Wat-
son; visitors: Grossman, Inman, Tissot.
New members elected were E. F. Grossman, an Entomologist
of the Experiment Station in charge of boll weevil investiga-
tions; M. T. Inman, of the Kay Research Company, who is ex-
perimenting with insecticides, and A. N. Tissot, Assistant Ento-
mologist of the Experiment Station.
The following officers were elected for the year: President,
Prof. John Gray; Vice-President, E. F. Grossman; Secretary, H.
E. Bratley; Treasurer and Business Manager of the Entomolo-
gist; A> Ne Tissot; Editor, J; R:awWatson:
The paper of the evening was by Dr. E. W. Berger on ‘‘Some
Mosquito Controls.”
WINTER NUMBER 57
THE CITRUS APHID IN CUBA
The following letter from Mr. J. B. Anderson of Santa Clara
in regard to the status of the new citrus aphid in Cuba should
be of interest to our readers:
“Here in this province (Santa Clara) I have been pretty well
over the groves, and find it universal; just this morning I was
out to see some little recreation farms, owned by friends here
in town. One place has about 20 trees, and the other, at a dis-
tance 10 miles removed from the first, has about 100 trees.
Both are badly infested, although there is not active work go-
ing on now as there is no new growth.
“In this province, near the town of Manacas, near the Man-
tanzas province line, there are six German-American orange
growers, with a total of about 100 acres of orange groves scat-
tered over a dozen square miles, and all the groves have the
aphis, being dormant at present, but having been worked pretty
thoroly as shown by the hardened curled leaves.
“When I was in Camaguey a month ago, a Cuban grower
with about 50 acres told me that all his trees were infected and
also that all the other groves around were in the same shape;
these are within 5 miles of Camaguey city.
“The La Gloria district, where my groves are, was gone over
very thoroly by me just before I wrote you the first of the year;
practically every grove is infected and much damage done.
“Thus I know personally that it has taken full charge of our
groves in these central provinces.
“As to how long it has been a pest, I can say that I have
noticed the characteristic tight curling of the leaves for the
past three years, and they tell me in La Gloria that it has been
there for four years, but never abundant enough to excite com-
ment even. We just supposed thet it was curling by dry weath-
er or something like that. Just this year it shot out like wild-
fire all at once in all groves.”
Mr. A. C. Mason, of the Bureau of Entomology, U. 8S. Dept.
of Agric., who has been stationed at Lindsey, Calif., where he
has been studying the California orange thrips, has been trans-
ferred to Hawaii, where he has taken up the study of the Medi-
terranean fruitfly.
58 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
NEW THYSANOPTERA FROM FLORIDA—XIII
J. R. WATSON
92. Podothrips semiflavus Hood.
Mr. George B. Merrill on October 1, 1924 collected a number
of thrips of this species from a swamp grass collected at Davie
by Bowers and Link of the State Plant Board. It has been re-
ported from Cuba and Porto Rico on sugar cane. The writer
has received it from the Virgin Islands when it was collected
on Para grass by Mr. C. E. Wilson. The present find extends
its known range to Florida and adds a new host.
93. Chirothrips obesus var. hubbeili n. var.
Female. Abdomen, pale brownish yellow (warm buff—Ridgeway’s color
standard) tip, darker (segment 10 raw umber); head raw umber; thorax
yellowish brown (prothorax buckthorn brown, pterothorax mummy brown) ;
legs empire yellow, all femora and middle and hind tibiae shaded with
brown on outer side; antennal segments 1 and 2 lemon chrome, 3 pinard
yellow, 4 buffy brown, 5 raw umber, 6 to 8 blackish brown.
Measurements: Total body length 0.7 mm.; head, length 0.09 mm.,
width 0.114 mm.; prothorax, length 0.125 mm., width (including coxae)
0.25 mm.; mesothorax, width 0.28 mm.; metathorax, width 0.25 mm.; ab-
domen, greatest width 0.28 mm. /
Antennae
Seale. 32) ee ee eee ere
B0r | 48 | 85 i 80s eer) a4) Sl teeincrons
Total length 0.23 mm.
Head, considerably wider than long, broadest across the posterior mar-
gin of the eyes, cheeks well arched, short, about a third the length of the
eyes, front produced into a triangle in front of the eyes, the two front
sides of this triangle (across the bases of the antennae) almost straight
but slightly produced between bases of antennae, tip with minute notch;
surface with several rather prominent longitudinal striations and a sin-
gle pair of bristles near the anterior angles of the eyes.
Eyes rather large, dark, pilose. Ocelli situated more anteriorly than
in most species of the genus, posterior pair about opposite the middle of
eyes, bordered by wide dark red crescents. Mouth cone reaching rather
more than half way across prosternum.
Antennae 2.5 times as long as head. Segment 1 rounded, about three-
fourths as long as wide; 2 inverted foot-shaped, but the ‘‘toe” very short,
the axis and the width along apical margin about equal; 3 pyriform with
a short peduncle; 4 and 5 suboval. Very thick, curved, colorless, sense
cones on inner margins of segments 3 and 4, a few short, inconspicuous
bristles on segments 5 to 8.
Prothorax trapezoidal in shape, sides diverging sharply posteriorly, quite
deeply indented above fore coxae. Both anterior and posterior angles
WINTER NUMBER 59
sharp, destitute of conspicuous bristles. Pronotum with anastomozing
striae and about 12 pairs of small bristles. ;
Sides of mesothorax very convex, of metathorax only slightly so and di-
verging posteriorly.
Fore legs short and much thickened.
Wings very long (length ten times the greatest width), much exceeding
the tip of the abdomen, curved, shaded with gray, fore pair deeply so
but with a clear area just above the base, sparsely fringed with long
irs for its entire length. Posterior veins of iore wings branch off from
the anterior at the apex of the clear area (about a fifth of the length)
bearing but two spines, one near the middle and another towards apex.
Anterior vein with four spines, two near the base and two near apex.
Abdomen short and thick. Segment 10 split open above. Segment 9
also narrow. Spines on segments 8 to 10 moderately long. Receptaculum
seminis over base of ovipositor bright reddish orange.
Male unknown.
Described from a single female taken in Dixie County, Florida, from
grass and roots at margin of a cypress pond, by T. H. Hubbell, Nov. 28,
1925. Type in the author’s collection.
Close to #. obesus Hinds, but differs in the shorter head, the more an-
terior position of the ocelli, the longer antennae, the less compressed first
antennal segment, the shorter projection on the second segment, the di-
verging sides of the metathorax, the wings with a complete fringe of hairs
and fewer bristles on the veins, and the absence of a long spine on the
posterior angle of the prothorax. From C. spinceps Hood it differs in size,
the fewer spines on the front of the head, the longer prothorax and the
shape of the fore tibiae.
KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF CHIROTHRIPS
1, -A) single longitudinal vein in each fore wing...-.....-.,..<--<.--.2:- mexicanus.
2. Two longitudinal veins in each fore wing; fore wings brown.
a. Two long, stout spines at each posterior angle of the prothorax.
b. Antennal segment 6 about as long as 4 and 5 together.
—insolitus.
bb. Segment 6 shorter than 4 and 5 together.................... manicatus.
aa. A single long, stout spine at each posterior angle..........spiniceps.
aaa. Spines at the posterior angles of the prothorax only moderately
long.
b. Body uniformly brown.
ce. Only one moderately heavy bristle on each posterior angle
of prothorax; antennal segment 5 nearly as thick as 4. -
—floridensis.
ec. Two shorter bristles on each posterior angle of prothorax,
antennal segment 5 much smaller than 4.
—floridensis catchingsi.
60 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
bb. Abdomen lighter.
ce. Abdomen gray brown or yellowish brown; length 0.78 mm.
—crassus.
ce. Abdomen yellow.
d. Thorax yellow ochre shaded with gray; length about
1.1 mm.; front of head with numerous’ small
spines. —vestis.
dd. Thorax yellowish brown; length 0.7 to 0.8 mm.; front
of head with one or two pairs of spines.
e. Posterior ocelli opposite posterior border of eyes;
each vein of fore wing with 4 to 6 spines.—
—obesus.
ee. Posterior ocelli opposite middle of eyes; anterior
vein with 4, posterior with 2 spines.
—obesus hubbelii.
94. Liothrips muscorum n. sp.
Male.
Color, including even the tarsi of the legs, a uniform dark brown, tho-
rax and abdomen with much blood red hypodermal pigment, antennal seg-
ments 3-6 mostly yellow.
Measurements: Total body length 1.17 mm. Head, length 0.22 mm.,
width, 0.185 mm.; prothorax, length 0.127 mm.; width (including coxae) 0.29
mm.; pterothorax, greatest width 0.33 mm.; abdomen, greatest width 0.34
mm.; tube, length 0.15 mm., width at base 0.06 mm., at apex 0.037 mm.
Antennae, segment. 1, 30; 2, 43> 3) 805 4, 74; 5, 63376, Gls" 7, bias ae
microns.
Total length, 0.44 mm.
Head but little longer than wide, widest some distance behind the eyes,
cheeks arched, converging quite sharply posteriorly, dorsal surface fine-
ly striated. Postocular bristles about .6 the length of eyes, blunt. Eyes
rather large but diameter somewhat less than the distance between them,
- dark, not pilose. Ocelli straw colored, posterior ones contiguous to the
inner margins of the eyes in front of their middle, the anterior one fac-
ing forward, inconspicuous, on a line with the anterior border of the eyes.
(To be continued.)
The State Plant Board has at the Lake Alfred Station nearly
a thousand of the Chinese lady beetles (Leis sp.) for distribu-
tion to the growers as soon as the citrus aphid becomes suffi-
ciently abundant to insure a constant food supply. These lady
beetles have been bred by Mr. W. L. Thompson. There are also
a few hundred of these beetles at the Experiment Station at
Gainesville where they have been bred by Mr. H. E. Bratley.
At both places they have been mostly dormant during Decem-
ber and January.
WINTER NUMBER 61
The New Spray for Aphis
No Odor
Non Poisonous
Pleasant to Use
Does Not Require Soap
Mixes with Other Sprays
Can be used with Hard or Sott Water
Corts Les then Ber
i ey
Made Only by
Wittiam Cooper & NEPHEWS
Cc
HICAGO
Distributed by
PENINSULAR CHEMICAL CO., Orlando, Fla.
GULF FERTILIZER CO., Tampa, Fia.
62 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST
The State Plant Board has secured the services of Mr. R. L.
Miller to take charge of the experiments in control of the new
citrus aphid which are being conducted at the Citrus Substa-
tion at Lake Alfred. Mr. Miller secured his master’s degree
at Ohio State at the close of the fall quarter there.
Now is the time to spray trees affected with rust mite,
scab or melanose. We handle the
DRY LIME SULPHUR
It saves freight on water and expense of handling. Ship-
ped in air-tight packages with removable top. Will keep
indefinitely if top is replaced after using. Dissolves readily
in any water. Add Dry Lime Sulphur to water and stir.
Five pounds to one hundred gallons water for rust mite,
equivalent to two gallons 33° Lime Sulphur Solution to
one hundred gallons of water. Prices range from 1014 to
25c per pound according to quantity order.
Arsenate of Lead Carbolic Acid, Crude
Bluestone Copperas
Bordeaux Mixture Fish Oil Soap
Genuine Protexol Soluble Sulphur Compound
Caustic Soda Sulphur Flowers, ete.
Schnarr’s Spray Formula Target Brand White Fly De-
stroyer.
Fresh stock of goods always on hand.
IN OUR SPRAYING DEPARTMENT
we carry only the best and most reliable, such as Leggett’s
Champion Duster, Lowell Compressed Air Sprayers and
Gould Sprayers. Write for booklet and prices.
E. 0. PAINTER FERTILIZER CO., Jacksonville, Fla.
Printing for All Purposes
Carefully Executed
Delivered on Time
Pepper Printing Company
Gainesville, Florida
WINTER NUMBER 63
ee a a a
“BLACK LEAF 40”
(Sulphate of Nicotine—40% of Nicotine)
For liquid spraying against aphis, thrips, leaf-hoppers,
ete. May be combined with other standard spray-chemicals.
Always dependable and efficient.
“Black Leaf 40” is, in Very Truth, “The Old Reliable”
PRICES
Seg ea © 1 0 ecoaa mM ai NE ere tere A RY Ne $ 1.25
lo EMT, | Wemneg eee iae feapieeipene se Ree Do, 3.50
OFM: thant eS ea ee / 13.50
"BLACK LEAP”-FI-NIGOTINE DUST
Contains Over 114% of Actual (“Free”) Nicotine
Made from our own high-strength (“Free”) Nicotine.
Thoroughly standardized as to strength and texture. Rec-
ommended for dusting vegetables to destroy aphis.
PRICES
F. O. B. Richmond, Va.
Ey STI MR GLP Noe cee te Sree ee ee eee ee $ 1.10
PASAT] ha XO SD Bo algae eee stem Gwe ele een ny ee) ear 3.75
EXD SNleaoh abhor mewn Mees caret Ci eine Be Ris Aue 6.75
MOOR eee Chri see ee a ee eee IPT ES
"BLACK LEAP” -F2-NIGOTINE DUST
Contains Over 2% of Actual (“Free”) Nicotine
Is stronger in nicotine than our—F1—Dust, but other-
wise, is the same. Recommended against the more resistant
insects, suck as cucumber beetle, pea aphis, ete.
PRICES
F. O. B. Richmond, Va.
L534) Il ove a ri 9 pe SE Pee beeck SOs ee $ 1.80
PAS) || OFS Baro bb bag Peewee ey eprom eae Re eet TPES es is 4.75
S(O EIN ose (oe alt ha 7 eevee ennai a ry cee a a Fs eee 8.75
OOS Dwr drum St ee 25 2s ee eee Peer eee ee 16.75
“Black Leaf” products are sold by seedsmen, hardware
stores, drum stores, general merchants, and dealers in hor-
ticultural supplies.
ASK YOUR DEALER
TOBACCO BY-PRODUCTS & CHEMICAL
CORPORATION
(Incorporated)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
THE FLORIDA KNTOMOLOGIST
CALCIUM CYANIDE
The newly produced chemical dust is being used
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Calcium Cyanide has the unique property of giving
off the killing agent—hydrocyanic acid gas—on contact
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is a powerful insecticide. The dust is simply applied
and the moisture in the air finishes the job.
Calcium Cyanide is recommended to control
gophers, salamanders, turtles, land crabs, ants, chinch
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