LIBRARY monthly LETTER OF THE BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY state: plant states department of agriculture Number 171 July, 1928 PROMPTNESS AND EXPLICITNESS IN CONTRIBUTING NEWS ITEMS The Monthly Letter of the Bureau of Entomology is maintained as a medium for the exchange, chiefly within the Bureau, of information con- cerning the activities of its scientific personnel and the various divis- ions in which its work is conducted. The advantages of such an inter- change of information hardly need to be enumerated. An important point in making it as useful as possible is the publication of this news with the utmost promptness, and before it is so old as not to deserve to be called by that name. The most logical and, as experience has shown, the most practicable method of doing this is to collect the news items up to the end of each calendar month and to issue them as promptly as possible thereafter. Causes of delay in publication are numerous; lack of prompt- ness in forwarding the items, and the time required for editing, retyping, approving for publication, making up the pages, multigraphing, proof read- ing, assembling, and stapling. It is rarely that the monthly issue is ready for distribution until after the lapse of two-thirds of the follow- ing month. To reduce the delay to a minimum the receipt of nev/s items for any month will hereafter be restricted to the first five days of the following month, and as soon as the material so received can be edited and retyped it will be offered for final approval. By far the larger part of the news items can, and should, be for- warded before the end of the month — perhaps as much as ten days before; and can be edited and retyped as promptly as practicable after they are received at the central office, thus avoiding the last-minute rush which has hitherto been a feature of the work on the Monthly Letter. Additional items, about events of the last few days of the month, can be sent immedi— ately e.fter those days have passed. It may reasonably be expected that items mailed promptly at the end of a month at any post office in the United States will be received at the editorial office within the five days allowed. In this connection a few suggestions concerning the preparation of news items seem desirable. Like other manuscript, all news matter should be written in double space for convenience in editing. Some time may be saved by placing the appropriate head for the division, as used regularly, at the beginning of the group of items. It is desirable that the date of an occurrence be given as exactly as is practicable; precise knowledge of the time may be useful to some reader. To say that some visitor called, or somebody did something, "in July," is greatly to les- sen the value of the news. The value is still less — almost vanishingly small when, as too frequently is the case, the time is not even remotely mentioned. And, in general, lack of explicitness (i.e. failure to give details v/hich would answer one or more of the questions who , what . when , where, |^, and why) is one of the most serious faults of the news items contributed, often causing waste of time in seeking more exact informa- tion. - 2 - INVESTIGATIONS OF INSECTS AFFECTING MAN AND ANIMALS F. C. Bishopp, in Charge On July 6 a conference was held in Dr. A. F. Woods's office, to discuss the problem of the cattle grub, and the work on that insect pro- posed by the Bureaus of Entomology, Animal Industry, and Chemistry and Soils. Representatives of a number of industries interested were pres- ent, as well as representatives of the bureaus mentioned. Early in July H. M. Brundrett left Dallas, Tex., for Schenec- tady, N. Y. , to conduct investigations on the cattle grub. The work was shifted later to Herkimer, N. Y., and Mr. Brundrett has now returned to Dallas. He stopped over in Washington en route in both directions. In July R. W. Wells, a former employe of the Bureau, was appointed Associate Entomologist, and Harold S. Peters and Emory C. Cushing As- sistant Entomologists. Mr. Wells has been following commercial work since his resignation from the Bureau, several years ago. He and Mr. Peters are now carrying on cattle grub investigations at Herkimer, N. Y. Mr. Cushing is temporarily assigned to studies on mosquitoes, with head- quarters at Mound, La. David G. Hall, a temporary appointee, has been assigned to investigations of the cattle grub. On July 30 Dr. Wm. A. Riley, of the University of Minnesota, was a visitor at the office. TAXONOMIC INVESTIGATIONS Harold Morrison, in Charge Dr. C. E. Mickel, Assistant Professor of Entomology and curator of the insect collection in the University of Minnesota, arrived in Wash- ington July 1, under an appointment with the Bureau of Entomology, and will spend about 2-g- months arranging the Museum collection of mutillids. Dr. Mickel has recently published revisions of some of the North American genera of Mutillidae, and has others in progress. Dr. H. S. Ewing, assisted by C. S. East, a taxidermist of the Na- tional Museum, spent most of July in eastern Virginia and North Carolina, getting records of vertebrate hosts for chiggers and other ectoparasites. It is of interest to note that no chiggers were recorded on small mammals, but many on ground-f reqiienting birds — all new host records for chiggers. Messrs. Ewing and East also took an unusual oestrid larva from the white- footed mouse. Prof. K. L. Henriksen, Assistant Curator of the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark, arrived in Washington on July 24 and will stay un- til August 9, when he will leave for the International Entomological Con- gress in Ithaca, N. Y. Although Dr. Henriksen has made a special study of trilobites and coleopterous larvae he is also interested in a general v/ay in the entomological collection of the Museum. - 3 - Dr. Vasco M. Tanner, of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, recently spent about two weeks in the Museum, consulting with the Bureau specialists there and studying material of the genus Brachinus. ' ' Dr. W. A. Riley, of the University of Minnesota, called at the Museum on July 27 and consulted with some of the Bureau specialists. Dr. Alvah Peterson, in charge of investigations of the oriental peach moth, at Moorestown, N. J., called at the Museum July 31 to discuss certain phases of the development of the egg-parasite Trichogramma minutum Riley. COTTON-INSECT INVESTIGATIONS B. R. Coad, in Charge On July 15, at the request of Dr. A. F. Woods, F. C. Bishopp made a trip from his headquarters in Washington to South Carolina to confer with State officials and others concerning recommendations for control of the boll weevil. B. R. Coad, in charge of the field laboratory at Tallulah, La,, and R. L. Mitchell, airplane pilot, left Tallulah July 2 for Northville, Mich., to supervise the completion and installation of special equipment in thb roonoplan? pursh&sbd for u§§ in flight studies of the pink bollworm. In the latter part of July B. R. Coad visited Bryan, Tex., to con- fer with R. W. Moreland on the plans for investigations of the cotton bollworm in progress in that vicinity, and with Dr. F. L. Thomas, State Entomologist, on investigations of the cotton bollworm, flea hopper, and pink bollworm being conducted in Texas. Mr. Coad also visited Stillv/ater, Okla., for conference with V. V. Williams relative to investigations of the boll weevil being conducted there, and for two days attended a general conference with the entire group of experiment station, college, and ex- tension workers, engaged this season in the program for weevil control in Oklahoma. John F. Payne, pilot at the field laboratory at Tallulah, made two trips to Albany, Ga. , in July to dust pecan trees in cooperation with J. B. Demaree, of the Division of General Orchard Disease Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, and G. F. Moznette, of the Division of Decid- uous-Fruit Insects. In July V. L. Pearson, Josh Randolph, and Dallas Sherman were ap- pointed temporary field assistants at the field laboratory at Tallulah, R. W. Moreland and John S. Graham, of the field laboratory at Tal- lulah, left there July 17 to conduct studies in life history and control of the cotton bollworm in the vicinity of Bryan, Tex. G. W. Berrier, temporary field assistant in the field laboratory at El Paso, Tex., has been detailed to Tlahualilo, State of Durango, Mex- ico, to carry on flight studies of the pink bollworm. 4 BEE CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS James I. Hambleton, in Charge W. J. Nolan is now in Baton Rouge, La., temporarily in charge of the new Southern States Bee Culture Field Station. The University of Lou- isiana has kindly offered laboratory quarters, heat, light, janitor serv- ice, and other facilities which mean a considera,ble saving to the Depart- ment. Dr. Warren Whitcomb, Jr., is en route to the station, of which he will be in charge and v/hich will be his permanent headquarters. At the new station v/ill be considered the advisability of establishing at an early date standard grades for queens and package bees. Dr. L. M. Bertholf is continuing this summer his studies at the laboratory, on the reaction of bees to light of various wave lengths and intensities . A very peculiar situation has arisen in the apiary of the Bee Cul- ture Laboratory this summer. Ordinarily after the honey flow from the tu- liptree is over the bees gather very little honey until goldenrod and as- ter are in blossom. This year, however, during July the bees made about li supers of honey, presumably from sweet clover. This honey granulates immediately, even before the cells are filled. Granulation is so solid that it is impossible to throw out the honey with an extractor. In order to salvage anything at all from these supers it will be necessary to cut out the combs and melt the wax and honey. Beekeepers in this section of the country will have to take particular care to see that this honey is not left on the colonies for v/inter stores. Samples of the honey have been sent to the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils for analysis. TRUCK-CROP INSECT INVESTIGATIONS J. E. Graf, in Charge C. G. Woodbury, Director of Raw Products Research, National Can- ners Association, visited the pea aphid summer laboratory at Columbus, Wis., from July 3 to July 5. R. W. Burgess has been appointed Agent, to be located at San Jose, Calif., and, in cooperation with the California Experiment Station and the California State Department of Agriculture, to work on the problem of the vegetable weevil. S. E. Crumb, formerly connected with the tobacco-insects field laboratory at Clarksville, Tenn., has been transferred to Puyallup, Wash., where he has established a new laboratory for the investigation of prob- lems relating to the earwig on the Pacific Coast. M. W. Stone, employed by this Bureau at Toppenish, Wash., during the seasons of 1926 and 1927, was transferred July 10 from the Plant Quar- - 5 - antine and Control Administration to the field laboratory at Alhambra, Calif., where he v/ill assist R. E. Campbell in problems relating to the biology and control of truck-crop insects. N. F. Hov/ard, Columbus, Ohio, visited Blacksburg, Lynchburg, Dan- ville, Richmond, and other points in Virginia, July 16 to 18, in company with Prof. Schoene, of the Experiment Station at Blacksburg, and Mr. Moore, County Agent, to determine the intensity of the infestation by the Mexican bean beetle, which had been reported to be seriously injuring beans in that section. Mr. Howard also visited Washington to arrange for experi- mental work on the Mexican bean beetle, to be conducted at the Arlington Farm in Virginia. M. C. Lane, Toppenish, Wash., visited Bozeman, Mont., July 18, to confer with Dr. J. R. Parker and others, of the Montana Agricultural Ex- periment Station, regarding the control of wireworms. O. E. Gahm, of the field laboratory at Columbus, Ohio, arrived in V/ashington July 28, to conduct experiments on the control of the Mexican bean beetle. His work will be carried on at the Arlington Farm and other points near Washington. S. P. Harrell has been given a temporary appointment as Field As- sistant at the bean beetle laboratory at Estancia, N. M., to succeed W. J. Douglass, who has been probationally appointed Junior Plant Quarantine Inspector by the Plant Quarantine and Control Administration. CEREAL AND FORAGE INSECT INVESTIGATIONS W. H. Larrimer, in Charge F. W. Boyd has been transferred, effective July 23, 1928, from the field laboratory at San Antonio, Tex., to the field laboratory at New Or- leans, and will be in charge of the sublaboratory at Beaumont, Tex. With this as a center, studies will be made in eastern Texas on the sugar-cane moth borer as a pest of corn. The work will be conducted in cooperation with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, In July several Junior Entomologists were appointed and assigned, as here specified, to duty in this Division. Morris Schlosberg has been assigned to duty at Toledo, Ohio, August I. Balzer, Ferdinand F. Dicke, and Luther G. Jones at Monroe, Mich., Clai'ence C. Crooks and Thomas V. Henneberry at Sandusky, Ohio, William A. Douglas at New Orleans, La., Eugene D. Eaton at Carlisle, Pa., Ford H. Harries at Sa Lt Lake City, Utah, Hosea S. Hollingsworth at Wichita, Kans., and D. D. Questel at Arlington, Mass. On July 27 Dr. W. J. Phillips, in charge of the field laboratory at Charlottesville, Va., visited the Washington office for consultation. - 6 - DECIDUOUS-FRUIT INSECT INVESTIGATIONS A. L. Quaintance, in Charge E. J. Newcomer and M. A. Yothers, of the Yakima, Wash., field laboratory, attended the eleventh annual meeting of the Northwest As- sociation of Horticulturists, Entomologists, and Plant Pathologists, which was held at Vancouver and Victoria, B. C., June 25, 1928. Mr. Newcomer was president of the organization. Dr. F. W. Pettey, Senior Entomologist of the South African De- partment of Agriculture, Dr. and Mrs. Uunio Saalas of Helsingfors, Fin- land, and Dr, M. B. Leonard, entomologist with the Tobacco By-Products and Chemical Corporation, visited the Yakima field laboratory on July 24. Dr. W. W. Skinner, of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, visited the Yakima field laboratory July 16, for a conference on the cooperative work on insecticides, carried on with the Bureau of Entomology. Visitors to the peach-insect field laboratory at Fort Valley, Ga., during the month of July include Prof. H. P. Gould, of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Prof. E. H. Rawl, Clemson College, S. C., M. C. Swingle, Japa- nese beetle laboratory, Moorestown, N. J., and a number of peach inspect- ors employed by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. H. S. Adair, of the Brownwood, Tex., pecan-insect field labora- tory, attended the sessions of the Texas Pecan Growers' Association, held at San Saba, July 11 and 12. J, L. Pelham, Associate Pomologist, Bureau of Plant Industry, was a visitor at the Brownwood, Tex., field laboratory July 12. GIPSY MOTH AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH INVESTIGATIONS A. F. Burgess, in Charge Among recent visitors at the Gipsy Moth Laboratory were Professor Bernard Trouvelot, of the Institut des Recherches Agronomiques, Paris, Dr. F. W. Pettey, Senior Entomologist of the Department of Internal Af- fairs, Union of South Africa, and John Carrol, of the University of Dub- lin, Ireland. F. E. B. Pope, Curator of Zoology in the Milwaukee Public Museum, visited the Gipsy Moth Laboratory in July for the purpose of obtaining material to be used in preparing an exhibit for the Museum. E. E. Atwood, a graduate of the Connecticut Agricultural College, has been appointed Junior Entomologist, and reported for duty at the Gipsy Moth Laboratory on July 19. William Middleton spent July 10 to 15 at the Gipsy Moth Laboratory, conferring with members of the staff. - 7 - The first shipment of parasite material received from Europe this year came from Poland and reached the Gipsy Moth Laboratory on May 18. Other shipments have since been received from Poland, Jugoslavia, Hungary, and Austria. The material has consisted of tachinid puparia and hymenop- terous cocoons of the genus Hyposoter. Biological studies are being car- ried on at the laboratory with some of the tachinids received, especially in an attempt to find out what native insects may serve as overwintering hosts. LIBRARY Mabel Colcord, Librarian NEW BOOKS Autenrieth, Wilhelm. Laboratory manual for the detection of poisons. 698 p., illus. Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's Son & Co., 1928. Carter, H. R. Malaria. Lessons on its cause and prevention for use in schools. 17 p., pi. (Sup. 18 to Public Health Reports July 17, 1914. Rev. ed. Apr. 1928. ) Catalogue of Indian insects. Part 14. Palpicornia, by A. d'Orchymont. 146 p., 1928. Part 16. Cosmopterygidae, by T. Bainbrigge Fletcher. 33 p., 1928. Part 17. Yponomeutidae, by T. Bainbrigge Fletcher. 26 p., 1928. Calcutta, Central Publication Branch. China Journal. Special silk number, v. 8, No. 5, May, 1928. (Contents: Sowerby, A. de C., What silk means to Shanghai, p. 221-224; Fer- guson, J. C., History of silk in China, p. 225-226; Chatley, Her- bert, How silk came to Europe, p. 226-227; Huber, C. J., The po- tentialities of the silk industry of China, p. 227-232; Buchanan, R. E., A comparative study of cocoons, p. 233-237; Morise, Y., Wild silk in Manchuria, p. 238-246; Sowerby, A. de C., Through the silk producing districts of central China, p. 248-250; Reports from silk improvement and experiment stations in China for 1927; Kellogg, C. R. , The life of the silkworm, p. 256-262; Kellogg, C. R. Diseases of the silkworm, p. 261-272; The Silk Association of America and improvement of silk industry in China, p. 277-278.) Die Tierwelt Deutschlands, hrsg. Friedrich Dahl. 7. Teil. Mrozek-Dahl, Tenge. Coleoptera Oder kafer. 1. Carabidae (Laufkafer) . 210 p. illus. 8. Teil. Spinnentiere Oder Arachnoidea. iii. Opiliones, Pseudoscorpionidae-Pantopodae Pentastomidae, 94 p., illus. Jena, Fischer, 1928. Escherich, Karl. Neuzeitliche Bekarapfung tierischer Schadlinge. 32 p. Berlin, Springer, 1927. Langstroth, L. L. Langstroth on the hive and honey bee, rev. by Charles and C. P. Dadant. This ed. (23) rev. and rewritten by C. P. Dadant. 438 p., illus., pi. Hamilton, 111., American Bee Journal, 1927. Lee, A. B. Lee's microtomist ' s vade mecura . . . Ed. 9. Ed. by J. Bronte Gatenby and E. V. Cov/dry. 710 p., illus. Philadelphia, P. Blak- iston's Son & Co., 1928. - 8 - Lindner, Edwin. Die Fliegen der palaearktischen Region. Ifg. 24 and 25, illus. Stuttgart, Schweizerbart 'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1928. Mattes, Otto. Parasitare Krankheiten der Mehlmottenlarven und Versuche iiber ihrer Verwendbarkeit als biologisches Bekampfungsmittel, p. 383-417. Berlin, Otto Eisner Verlagsgesellschaft m. b. H. , 1927. (Sitzungs- berichte d. Gesellschaft zur Beforderung der gesammten Naturwis- senschaften zu Marburg, Bd. 62, Hf t . 12.) (Literaturverzeichnis, p. 415-417.) Priesner, H. Die Thysanopteren Europas, Abt. 4. p. 569-755. Wien, Wagner, 1928. (Literatur, p. 726-744.) Quayle, H. J. Fumigation with calcium cyanide dust. Hilgardia, v. 3, No. 8, p. 207-232, illus., April, 1928. (Literature cited, p. 231-232.) Russo, Guiseppe. Las enfermedades perjudiciales al cultivators de cebolla. 22 p., illus. Santo Domingo, 1928. (Dominican Republic. Estacion Agro- nomica de Moca. Lab. di Ent. Circ. 2.) Schmiedeknecht , Otto. Opuscula ichneumonologioa, Supplement-Band Neubearbeitungen, Fasc. II, p. 33-112. Genus Ichneumon L. Blankenburg i. Thiir, 1928. Sjostedt, Yngve. Ueber einen neuen Reisenkafer (Gloiathus meleagris) aus Siid-Kongo nebst einer Revision der Gattung Goliathus. 30 p., 14 pi. Stock- holm, Almquist & Wiksells boktryckeri-A-B, 1927. (Arkiv for Zoo- logi, Bd. 19 A, N:o 24. ) Stewart, C. D. The pastor of the bees [Langstroth] . Atlantic Monthly v. 142, No. 1, p. 92-103, July, 1928. Tillyard, R. J. The ancestry of the order Hymenoptera. Trans. Ent. Soc. London, 1927, Part II, p. 307-318, pi., Dec. 31, 1927. (References, p. 318. ) Wheeler, W. M. Foibles of insects and men. 217 p., illus. N. Y. , Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. Wheeler, W. M. The social insects; their origin and evolution. 378 p. illus., pi. N. Y., Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1928. (International Library of Psychology, Philosophy and Scientific Method.) (Bibliography, p. 323-359.) Williams, Canning. The story of the hive. A bee-lover's book. 200 p. London, A. & C. Black, Ltd., 1928. Winkler, Albert. Catalogus coleopterorum regionis palaearcticae . Pars 8. (p. D 881- 1008.) Wien, Verlag von Albert Winkler, 1928. U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. Office of Information. Press Service. What there is to see in the United States Department of Agriculture. 44 p. Washington, June, 1928. (Mimeographed.) Zweigelt, Fritz. Der Maikafer . . . 453 p., maps. Berlin, P. Parey, 1928. (Monographien zur angewandten Entomologie 9.) I