LIBRARY STATE PLANT BOARD MONTHLY LETTER OF THE BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Number 1S1 May, 1923 COTTON INSECT INVESTIGATIONS B. R. Coad, in Charge H. C. Young and T. P. Cassidy, of the field laboratory at Tucson, Ariz., reached Stillwater, Okla. , on May 6, and during the present season will be engaged in cooperative work on control of the boll weevil in Oklahoma. C. A. Bennett, Associate Mechanical Engineer, Division of Agricul- tural Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads, who is cooperating with the field laboratory at Tallulah, La., visited a number of points in . Texas in the early part of May to obtain data on cultivator dusters there and their adaptability for use. Dr. W.’E. Hinds, State Entomologist of Louisiana, with headquar- ters at Baton Rouge, visited the field laboratory at Tallulah on May 21 for conference with B. R. Coad on conditions relating to the boll weevil in Louisiana. T. P. Cassidy, at present in charge of cooperative experimental work on control of the boll weevil in Oklahoma, spent the last few days of May at Tallulah in conference with B. R. Coad on conditions in that State. Temporary field assistants appointed and reporting for duty at the Tallulah field laboratory in May were A. C. Christopher, 0. H. Graham, H. D. Cook, R. W. Bunn, J. G. Shaw, C. F. Rainwater, and R. P. Patty. BOOKS MISSING About the middle of May Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of "Index to lit-: erature of American Economic Entomology" were supposed to have been sent to W. A. Thomas, in charge of the field laboratory at Chadbourn, N. C. These books were purchased under Requisition No. 5806, a num- ber which appears on the title-page of each book. Mr. Thomas received instead a book intended for another laboratory, and it is believed that the three volumes named were misdirected to a different laboratory of the Bureau of Entomology. If by chance this notice comes to the atten- tion of anyone at whose laboratory they may have been received, it is requested that he send them direct to W. A. Thomas, Box 146, Chadbourn, N. C. - 2 - TAXONOMIC INVESTIGATIONS Harold Morrison, in Charge On May 7 H. S. Barber went to Wingina, Va., with J. H. Riley, of the staff of the National Museum, to pack for shipment to the Mu- seum the collections of the late Colonel Wirt Robinson. These collec- tions include a number of rare and. unusual Coleoptera which, after they have been incorporated in the Museum collections, will be of consider- able value to the Bureau specialists for purposes of reference. W. D. Reed, of the field laboratory for the study of dried-fruit insects, Fresno, Calif., visited the Taxonomic Unit May 9 to consult hymenopterists regarding possible parasites of the dried-fruit beetle, which does much damage to figs. He also spent May 12 to 14 in the section of Coleoptera, examining the collection of Nitidulidae, particularly of the genera Carpophilus and Epuraea, to obtain records of these beetles for California. Miss Kathleen McClure, a recent graduate of Iowa State College, has been given a temporary appointment as Senior Scientific Aid in the Taxonomic Unit. Dr. J. G. Gehring, of Bethel, Me., spent May 12 to 14 with Mr. Barber in the section of Coleoptera of the Taxonomic Unit. Dr. J. M. Aldrich, Associate Curator of the Division of Insects, United States National Museum, left Mew York on May 15 for London, where he will spend some weeks in the study of muscoid types in the British Museum. At the conclusion of this work he will proceed to northern Nor- way and Sweden on a collecting expedition, the object being to obtain insects of northern Europe, especially Diptera, for comparison with similar forms occurring in the northern part of North America. While in Europe Dr. Aldrich will also visit some other museums for the purpose of examining types of muscoid Diptera. He expects to return to Washing- ton about August 20. On May 16 C. Boden Kloss, of the Raffles Museum, Singapore, Straits Settlements, consulted with W. S. Fisher in regard to the deter- mination of beetles, and with A. B. Gahan and R. A. Cushman about the parasitic Hymenoptera loaned from the collections under his charge. On May 18 L. L. Williams, Jr., of Richmond, Va. , discussed with C. T. Green the mosquitoes of North Dakota and South Dakota. A. B. Champlain, of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg, Pa., called at the Taxonomic Unit May 17 to consult A. Busck about the European corn borer. C. E. White, of Brookline, Mass., visited the National Museum on May 22 to examine certain beetles, particularly those of the family Carabidae, in the National collection. - 3 - On May 27, Prof. J. J. Davis, of the Department of Entomology, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., consulted hymenopterists of the Taxonomic Unit regarding parasites of the oriental peach moth. BEE CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS James I. Hambleton, in Charge The Maryland State Beekeepers' Association held a field meeting at the apiary of the Bee Culture Laboratory, Somerset, Md. , on May 25.. F. G. Robb and H. J. Clay, of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, gave short addresses, as well as several members of the Bee Culture staff. Mr. Rieth, an international student at Johns Hopkins University, and one of the prominent beekeepers in the Hamburg area of Germany, gave an interesting talk on German beekeeping. A complicated patented German beehive, recently re- ceived as a gift at the laboratory, was exhibited. Mr. Rieth pronounced it too complicated, and not typical of German beehives. An interesting con- test was arranged, each beekeeper demonstrating his expertness in filling a queen-bee mailing cage with bees. Ten beekeepers finished the contest, the others being disqualified as a result of being stung. The Maryland State Beekeepers' Association awarded the prizes, a queenbee going to Mr. Rieth, and Mr. Aman receiving a certificate as the most expert Maryland beekeeper. Members of the Bee Culture staff demonstrated some of the work at the laboratory. In connection with the 51st annual meeting of the American Library Association, held in Washington on May 13 to 18, the library staff of the United States Department of Agriculture served luncheon on May 15 to the members of the Agricultural Libraries Section. This luncheon was of particular interest in that all the food for it was produced and prepared in the Department. Honey, furnished by the Bee Culture Laboratory, occupied a prominent place on the menu, orange blossom, white clover, a,nd tulip-tree honeys being used. The ice cream, made by the Bureau of Dairy Industry, was flavored and sweetened entirely with orange-blossom honey. The market for ice cream flavored with orange-blossom honey appears exceptionally bright . Miss Vaj en E. Hitz has been temporarily transferred from the library of the Department of Agriculture to the Bee Culture Laboratory to prepare a catalogue of the beekeeping literature there. It is planned to issue the catalogue in mimeographed form, so that those interested may obtain a record of the literature on beekeeping in the Bee Culture library. Sever- al beekeeping libraries have already made valuable contributions to the Bee Culture library, and have generously offered to assist in making avail- able at Washington as complete a collection of literature on beekeeping as possible . 4 FOREST INSECT INVESTIGATIONS F. C. Craighead, in Charge Early in May Dr. Craighead spent two days at Syracuse, N. Y., consulting with Dr. M. W. Blackman and Dr. H. J. MacAloney about the work on the white-pine weevil. J. C. Evenden reports that field activities have begun in Mon- tana with the initiation of several control projects of the Forest Ser- vice. The late season and considerable snow have somewhat handicapped operations . J. E. Patterson reports that, although snow still lies on the ground in the Crater National Park, the control of the mountain pine beetle by the sun-curing method has been progressing favorably, and that unusually high temperatures for this season of the year have been obtained under the bark of the felled trees. Contributions from the Gipsy-Moth Laboratory Dr. H. L. Dozier, Entomologist of the Delaware Agricultural Ex- periment Station, in a letter dated May 9, 1929, wrote as follows con- cerning the use of fish oil as an adhesive in sprays: "We have tried out the fish oil in most of the combinations and have found it compat- ible and very satisfactory. Practically every grower who has used this material in our State is not only satisfied but rather enthusiastic over same. In fact, to my own knowledge there have been twenty-one barrels shipped to this State for use in orchard work this season. I have had inquiries in regard to the material from eighteen States and Canada." Dr. Dozier became interested in the use of fish oil as an ad- hesive through experiments carried on by C. E. Hood, of the Gipsy Moth Laboratory. Messrs. Collins, Hood, Barnes, and Potts, of the Gipsy Moth Lab- oratory, discussed various matters having to do with insecticides with Dr. T. J. Headlee, of the New Jersey Experiment Station, when he visited Boston on May 10. Visitors to the Gipsy Moth Laboratory in May were Dr. H. W. Al- len and G. J. Haeussler, of the field laboratory at Moorestown, N. J., May 2; B. J. Landis, of the field laboratory for investigations of the Mexican bean beetle, Columbus, Ohio, May 4; R. W. Burrell, of the Japa- nese Beetle Laboratory, Moorestown. N. J., and Prof. J. A. Manter, of the Connecticut Agricultural College, and two of his entomological stu- dents, May 7. Mr. Landis spent several days at the laboratory familiar- izing himself with the work being done with parasites. Dr. J. R. Hobbs, a student at the Harvard Medical School, has received a temporary appointment, beginning May 1. to study certain diseases of the gipsy moth. Four college students have been given employment at the Gipsy Moth Laboratory for the summer season, R, W. Lamson, of Syracuse Uni- versity, A. L. Brady, of Cornell University, R, K, Voorhees, Florida Agricultural College, and J. G. Schread, Connecticut Agricultural Col- lege. Mr. Lamson reported March 1, and the others in May. DECIDUOUS-FRUIT INSECT INVESTIGATIONS A. L. Quaintance, in Charge Visitors in May to the peach-insect field laboratory. Fort Valley, Ga. , included Jacques R. Range ras, of the National Institute of Agronomy, Paris, France, B. P. Livingston, Director of the Alabama State Bureau of Plant Industry, P. H. Miller, in charge of the Arkansas State Plant Board, J. C. Dunegan, of the U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry, Fayette- ville, Ark. , M, C. Swingle, of the Japanese Beetle Laboratory, Moores- town, N. J., M. S. Yeomans, Georgia State Entomologist, and John B. Gill, of the Georgia State Board of Entomology. Oliver I. Snapp spent the week of May 20 to 26 in and around Orlando, Fla., studying the situation as to the Mediterranean fruit fly. Contributions from the -Japanese-Beetle Laboratory- On May 13 and 14 four horticultural commissioners from various counties in California, A. H. Call, Santa Paula, John P. Coy, San Ber- nardino, R. R. McLean, San Diego, and A. A. Brock, Santa Ana, visited the laboratory. Dr. W. J. Schoene, Blacksburg, Va., and Dr. S. B. Fracksr, of the Plant Quarantine and Control Administration, Washington, D. C. , visited the laboratory on May 21, A. C. Fleury, Chief of the Quarantine Division, Sacramento, Calif., spent a part of May 25 looking over the investigational work of the laboratory on the Japanese and Asiatic beetles. Prof. John J. Davis, Lafayette. Ind. , arrived at Moorestown May 30, for conference and to collect parasites of the oriental peach moth. He will try to establish in Indiana certain native parasites now occurring in New Jersey. - 6 - TRUCK-CROP INSECT INVESTIGATIONS J. E. Graf, in Charge W. A. Thomas, in charge of the field laboratory at Chadbourn, N. C,, visited Washington May 3 to 6. to discuss the work being con- ducted at that laboratory. B. J. Landis, Columbus, Ohio, who will shortly leave for Mexico to investigate parasites of the Mexican bean beetle, visited the Gipsy- Moth Laboratory, Melrose Highlands, Mass., the Corn-Borer Laboratory, Arlington, Mass., and the Japanese-Beetle Laboratory, Moorestovvn, N. J., early in May to study methods of rearing and handling parasites. He visited Washington May 17. Temporary appointments as field assistants have recently been given C. Mattsson and H. E. Dorst, assigned to duty at Richfield, Utah, H. A. Waters and A. C. Cole, Jr., assigned to duty at Twin Falls, Idaho, Joseph Hamilton, assigned to duty at Tempe, Ariz., and L. L. Odom, as- signed to duty at Grand Bay, Ala. CEREAL AND FORAGE INSECT INVESTIGATIONS W. H. Larrimer, in Charge C. M. Packard, in charge of investigations of the Hessian fly, with headquarters at West Lafayette, Ind. , visited the field labora- tory at Carlisle, Pa., on May 20 and 21, and the Washington office, on his way home, on May 22 and 23. Stewart Lockwood, formerly in charge of the field laboratory at Billings, Mont., has resigned from the service, effective May 6. During the week of May 15 D. W. Jones and Chas. A. Clark, of the field laboratory at Arlington, Mass., visited the field laboratories at Silver Creek, N. Y. , Sandusky and Toledo, Ohio, and Monroe, Mich., on business relating to parasites of the European corn borer. On May 22 they left the region about Lake Erie and returned to Arlington. Gordon W. Haug and Frank Lieberman have accepted three months' appointments as field assistants at Salt Lake City, Utah, effective May 27 and May 15, respectively. Dr. W. H. Larrimer spent May 24 to June 1 driving through the districts infested by the European corn borer in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, in search of first-hand information on the status of the clean-up this year, as compared with that of former years. - 7 - INSECTS AFFECTING MAN AND ANIMALS F. C. Bishopp, in Charge On May 20 D. C. Parraan returned for a short period to his offi- cial headquarters at Uvalde, Tex., from Coachella, Calif., where he has been engaged in studies of the eye gnat, a species of Hippelates. On May 9 W. E. Dove arrived in Washington from his station at Dal- las, Tex., to consult bureau officials and specialists in the National Museum. He returned to Dallas after spending two weeks in Washington. Upon the invitation of Captain R. G. Heiner, Marine Corps, U. S. Navy, F. C. Bishopp gave an illustrated lecture on flies and their con- trol before a class of naval and marine medical officers at Quantico, Va., May 14. The class was then conducted over the reservation for a study of the local situation as regards flies and was given instruction as to how different practical problems might be met. J, L. Webb made a trip to New York on May 14 to consult with a representative of the Sumatra Caouchouc Company, the principal company engaged in exporting derris roots from Sumatra. LIBRARY Mabel Colcord, Librarian NEW BOOKS Bailey, I. W. , and Spoehr, H. A. The role of research in the development of forestry in North Amer- ica. 118 p. New York, The Macmillian Company, 1929. Balari Gali, Alberto. Iniciacion en la tecnica apicola (Nociones de apiculture). 40 p. Gerona, Imprenta y liberia de Antonio Franquet y Cusine, 1928. Banks , Nathan . Spiders from Panama. Bui. Mus. Compar. Zool., v. 69, No. 3, p. 53- 96, 4 pi. , Feb. , 1929. Bondar, Gregorio. A laranjeira no Brasil. 138 p. , illus. S. Paulo, "Chacaras e Quin- taes," 1929. (Parte II. Insectos damnin’nos e molestias da laran- jeira, p. [77]-134. Bibliographia, p. 135-136.) Bondar, Gregorio. Pragas da lavoura. Bahia. Sec. da Agricultura . . . Boletim de Pathologia Vegetal, Anno 1928, No. 6, p. 65-149, illus., 1929. - 8 - Constantineanu, M. I. Contributions a 1' etude des ichneumonides en Rcumanie. Ann. Sci. Univ. Jassy, v. 15, fasc. 3-4, p. 387-641, 1929. (Index biblio- graphique, p. 635-641.) Crawford, J. A., and Chalam, B. S. Mosquito reduction and malarial prevention. A precis. Ed. 2. 107 p., plates. London, etc., Oxford Univ. Press, 1927. Dusmet y Alonso, J. M. Los apidos de Espana VII. Generas Eucera Scop, y Tetralonia Spin. Mem. Real. Soc. Espan. de Hist. Nat., v. 13, No. 2, p. 83-201, Oct. 1, 1926. Ellis, E. T. Insect pests. 156 p. London, George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., 1929. Federley, Harry. Methcden zur Erforschung der Vererbung bei den Lepidopteren . Ab- derhalden, Emil, ed. Handbuch der biologischen Arboitsmethcden, Abt . IX, Th. 3, Hft. 3, p. 637-390, Wien, Urban & Schwarzerberg, 1929. (Literatur, p. 688-690.) Fisher, R. C. Lyctus powder post beetles . . . 46 p., illus. Gt. Brit. Dept. Sci. & Indus. Research. (Forest Products Research Bui. 2, London, 1929.) (Bibliography, p. 45-46.) Hewitt, John. A survey of the scorpion fauna of South Africa. Trans. Roy, Soc. South Africa, v. 6, pt. 2, p. 89-192, PI. XIX-XXXII, March 23, 1918. Hull, Callie , and West, C. J. Funds available in the United States for the support and encourage- ment of research in science and its technologies. Ed. 2. 90 p. Washington, D. C., Published for the National Research Council, 1928. National Research Council Bui. No. 66.) Kuznezov, N. J. Insectes lepidopteres (Insecta Lepidoptera) . v. 1, livr. 2. Introduc- tion. Asciidae (Danaidae). CCCXXXVII-DXCIX, 64 p. Leningrad, 1929. (Faune de l'URSS.) Lindner, Erwin. Die Fliegen der palaearktischen Region. Lfg. 31-32. Stuttgart, E. Schweizerbartsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1929. Lopez, A. W. Morphological studies of the head and mouth-parts of the mature ccd- ling-moth larva, Carpocapsa pomonella (Lin.). Univ. of California. Pubs, in Ent., v. 5, No. 3, p. 19-36, illus., 1929. (Literature ci- ted, p . 36 . ) Lutz, F. E. How to collect and preserve insects. 27 p., illus. New York, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 1927. (Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. Guide Leaflet No. 39, ed. 6.) Meuse, Carl. Handbuch der Tropenkrankheiten. 3. Aufl. Bd. 5, Th. 1 (864 p.), illus. Leipzig, Barth, 1929. ("Literatur" at ends of chapters.) - 9 - Miller, D. F. Determining the effects of change of temperature upon the locomotor movements of fly larvae. Jour. Expt. Zool., v. 52, No. 2, p. 293-313, illus., Jan., 1929. (Literature cited, p. 313.) Miller, D. F., and Gans, M. Some observations on the reactions of the ant Cremastogaster lined ata (Say) to heat. Jour. Compar. Psychol., v. 5, No. 6, p. 465-473, 2 tab., Dec., 1925 (References, p. 473.) Myers, J. G. Insect singers. A natural history of the cicadas. 304 p. , illus., pi. London, Routledge and Sons, limited, 1929. (Bibliography, p. 237-285 . ) Pearce, S. K. Typical flies, a photographic atlas of Dipt era and Aphaniptera. Ser. I, Ed. 2. 47 p, , illus. Cambridge, At the University Press, 1928. Pearce, E. K. Typical flies, a photographic atlas of Diptera. Series III. 64 p. incl. plates. Cambridge, At the University Press, 1928. Ramachandra, Y. rao, and Ramaswamiah , A. G. Notes on the life history of Longita.rsus nigripennis - the "Pollu" fleabeetle of pepper. Madras Agr. Dept. Year Book 1926, p. 51-64, pi. Rau, Phil. The ecology of a sheltered clay bank; a study in insect ecology. Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, v. 25, No. 7, p. 157-277, PI. XIX-XXI, Aug. 1926. Rau, Phil. Field studies in the behavior of the non-social wasps. Trans Acad. Sci. St. Louis, v. 25, No. 9, p. 325-489, incl. PI. XXII-XXXII, June, 1928. Rohan, B. J. Our forests. A national problem. 187 p., illus, Appleton, Wis., C. C. Nelson Publishing Company, 1929. (Explanatory Science Series, C. C. Davis, ed. ) Savastano, Giulio. La f ruiticoltura subtropicale della Florida in relazione ad un pcs- sibile analogo sviluppo nella Sicilia. Annali R. Stazione Sperimen- tali di Agrumicultura e Frutticolturi in Acireale, v. 9, p. 1-24, 5 pi. , 1928. Schenkling, Edmund, ed. Coleopterorum catalogus auspiciis et auxilio W. Junk. Pars 98-101. Berlin, W. Junk, 1928. Contents: 98. Csiki, E. Carabidae : Harpalinae II, p. 227-345; 99. Blair, K. G. Pythidae, Pyrochroidae . 41, 14 p.; 100. Schenkling, S. Languriidae. 40 p.; 101. Schenkling, S. Throscidae, Cerophytidae , Perothopidae . 26, 3, Ip. Simpson, C. T. The Florida tree snails of the genus Liguus. No. 2741. From Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus . , v. 73, Art. 20, p. 1-44, pis. 1-4, map, 1929. Spain, Servico fitopatologica agricola. Estacion central. Informs sobre el estado sanitario de los cultivas en el an 1928. 83 p. Madrid, Estac. Cent, de Fitopathol. Agric., 1929. - 10 - ■Speyer, Walter. Der Apfelblattsauger Psylla mali Schmidberger. 127 p. , illus. Berlin, Springer, 1929. (Monographien zum Pflanzenschutz, hrsg. H. Morstatt, Berlin-Dahlem I.) (Schriftenverzeichnis, p. 114-127.) Thompson, W. R. On the relative value of parasites and predators in the biological control of insect pests. Bui. Ent, Research, v. 19, pt. 4, p. 343- 350, March, 1929. (References, p. 350.) Troitzky, N. N. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Reblaus und der Reblauswiderstandsfahigkeit derweinrebe. Lfg. 1 (197 p.), illus. Leningrad, 1929. (State Institute of Experimental Agronomy, Leningrad, Bureau of Applied Entomology, Works of Applied Entomology, v. 15, No. 1.) U. S. Dept. Agr. Plant Quarantine and Control Administration. War against the Mediterranean fruit fly. 5 [1] p. , 2 pi. May 20, 1929. (P. Q. C. A. Mimeograph.) Uvarov, B. P. Insect nutrition and metabolism. A summary of the literature. Trans. Ent. Soc. London, v. 76, pt. 2, p. 255-343, Jan. 15, 1929. (Biblio- graphy, p. 320-343.) Van Dyke, E. C. A reclassification of the genera of North American Meloidae (Coleop- tera) and a revision of the genera and species formerly placed in the tribe Meloini, found in America north of Mexico, together with de- scriptions of new species. Univ. of California Pubs, in Ent., v. 4, No. 12, p. 395-474, pis. 15-19, 1928. Wagner, Hans. Taschenbuch der Kafer des mitteleuropaischer Verbreitungsgebiets . . . Ed. 2. 213 p., 24 col. pi. Esslingen und Munchen, J. F. Schreiber, 1927. Weigert, Hans. Mein Bienenstand . . . 144 p. , illus. Regensburg, Josef Nabbel, 1927. Winkler, Albert, ed. Catalogus coleopterorum regionis palaearcticae, pars 9. (p. 1003- 1135.) Wien, Albert Winkler, 1929. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 3 1262 09236 6441