5 353.9 E3R 1934 NO. 25 1 (). 2M DECEMBER, 1934 Montana Insect Pests for 1933 and 1934 The Twenty-Fifth Report of tlie State Entomologist of Montana BY A. L. Strand, Statp: Entomologist h ,• .._ SAYS PLANT BUG. (CHLOROCHROA SAYI STAL.) A SERIOUS WHEAT PEST IN NORTH-CENTRAL MONTANA. BY MEANS OF A LONG BEAK IT SUCKS THE PLANT SAP FROM DEVELOPING GRAIN, THE DAMAGE IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED UNTIL HARVEST WHEN THE PLANTS ARE FOUND TO YIELD ONLY CHAFF AND SHRIVELED KERNELS. (FROM U. S. D. A. BUL. 779.) MONTANA STATE COLLEGE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BOZEMAN, MONTANA smPOBLKAM!^' OCT 31 L\ MONTANA STATE LV 1515E. eth.V-/; HELENA, M0NTMiv>4 LETTHK OF TliAN:SMlTTAL Bozemaii, ]\foutana, Peoemhi'i- .HI, 1934 To His Excelloncy, Governor Frank H. Cooney Helena, Montana. -My Dear Sir: I present, herewith tlie Twenty-Fifth Report of the State Entomologist. By law the entomologist of Montana State College and Agricultural Ex- periment Station is the State Entomologist. It is his duty to direct control measures against destructive insect pests. In the thirty-two years since this office was created there h.Ts never been a time when it was more badly needed or served a greater number of the people of ]\rontanu tlian in 19.3-1. In Xovember, 1933, the worst grasshopper outbreak in the liistory of the state was predicted. The State Entomologist, cooperating with the entomol- ogists of other western states that were facing the same predicament, and especially with the U. S. Bureau of Entomology, jirepared the estimates on Avhich a federal appropriation was obtained for grasslmpper contrdl. As shown in the body of the report he acted as state leader in charge of the campaign. The following summary shows somewhat the extent of the work: Xumber of counties engaged in grasshopper control ~>l Carload shipments of poisoned bait 940 Tons of bait moved into the counties 19,509 Tons of bait actually used ir),2-')4 (This means 67,000,000 pounds of finished bait) Minimum number of farmers using bait 20,805 Xumber of mechanical bait spreaders used 2,665 Acres of land treated 3,320,405 The actual amount of crop destroyed by grasshoppers was very small when you consider the extremely heavy infestations which had to be combated. In the non-drought counties it is estimated by the great majority of farmers themselves that nearly total loss of crop would have resulted if the grass- hoppers had not been poisoned. A most conservative valuation on the crop saved is $7,500,000. There is in storage in the state now enough poisoned bait to take care of the expected grasshopper infestations in 1935. There is this important con- sideration which should not be overlooked. In 1934 the State Entomologist had three assistants on federal salary and federal expense to aid in the supervision of tlie work. Needless to say, with an appropriation of $300 no Montana Slate Library 'II Till I. 3 0864 1004 0598 7 help could be employed at stale expense. But in 1935 there wi.l be no federal aid in this respect. With grasshoppers still requiring a great deal of time from this office, and with the expected widespread Mormon cricket out- break, to say nothing of the many other insect problems of the state, your attention as well as that of the legislature is called to the need of adequate support for insect control work. We venture to remark that there is no other state activity which pays a higher dividend on the money invested. Respectfully yours, A. L. STRAND State Entomologist TABLE OF C0NTP:XTS Page The contio! of insect pests in Montana ^ Kow the law works out in praetiee ^ Who does the work and how sui)ported " Grasshoppers in 1933 '^ Table i — Grasshoppers in 1933 ° Grasshoppers in 1934 9 Organization of 1934 grasshopper campaign 1-5 Control of grasshoppers b}' poisoned bait in 1934 - 18 Table 2 — grasshopper bait supplies 19 Use of mechanical bait spreaders 21 Table 3 — Number of farmers using bait, acres treated, and number of mechanical spreaders in operation - 23 General results of grasshopper poisoning campaign in 1934 25 Plowing as a supx^lement to the bait method in grasshopper control 26 The value of grasshopper egg surveys - 27 The outlook for grasshoppers in 193."; 2S Say's plant bug (Chlorochron sayi Seal.) - 29 The Morman cricket in 1933 30 Ihe :\Iormon cricket in 1934 - 30 The pale western cutworm 32 Insect pests of field crops The sugar-beet leafhopper 33 Sugar-beet maggots 34 The beet webworm 34 The Colorado potato beetle 34 Vegetable and truck crops Cabbage maggot ..34 Fruit insects The black cherry aphis 34 The cherry fruit-fly 36 ^ Yellow jackets - 36 Miscellaneous cherry insects of F.athead orchards 36 The oystershell scale 36 The codling moth 36 Insects of shade trees and ornamentals 37 Appendix 36 Twenty-Fifth Report of the State Entomologist THE CONTROL OF INSECT PESTS IN MONTANA The original law providing for a State Entomologist, passed in 1903, includes the following statement :' ' ' When it becomes known to the State Entomologist that an outbreak of an insect has occurred in any part of the State, it shall be his duty to go to the scene of the outbreak or send a suitably qualified assistant. The State En- tomologist or said assistant shall determine the extent and seriousness of the outbreak and wlien necessary publish or make public demon- stration of the best remedies to be employed." Tlie county insect pest law, passed in 1921, contains the follow- ing statement:'"' "The board of commissioners of any county in the state where there are any insect pests are hereby authorized and em- powered to appoint some suitable person or persons whose duty it shall be, acting under the direction of the state entomologist, to poison, Icill, catch, and exterminate insect pests within such county." From the above quotations it is plain that it is the duty of the State Entomologist or his assistants not only to keep in touch with and to control minor insect outbreaks all over the state but also to direct the larger control campaigns in which county funds are used to wholly or partly meet the cost of field operations in actually fighting the insects. HOW THE LAW WORKS OUT IN PRACTICE In the past these two laws have worked out very well in practice. Instances of insect damage, if at all severe, have been discovered either by the State Entomologist or his assistants or are quickly re- ported by county agricultural agents or individual farmers. If the damage is restricted to a single farm or community, control measures are recommended to the owner, who puts them into operation at his own expense. If control operations on a larger scale are needed the county authorities are appealed to and the county pest law is used. Sometimes that is not enough. In 1934 most counties in the state could not have financed the intensive grasshopper campaigns which were required. The State Entomologist, in this case, presented the ^Chapter 72, Revised Codes of the State Entomologist Law, No. 914. "Eevised Codes of the County Insect Pest Law, No. 4503. G MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 necessary facts and estimates on -wliieh were based a federal appropri- ation for this work. In addition to field work in connection with insect outbreaks, surveys must be conducted to determine whether unusually dangerous insects like the alfalfa weevil are already within the state. To wait until their presence is indicated by damage to crops might be very disastrous. Other surveys connected with the prediction of coming insect outbreaks are of immense value to the agricultural interests of the state. WHO DOES THE WORK AND HOW SUPPORTED The entomologist of the Experiment Station is by law the State Entomologist; he also gives nearly half his time to teaching entomol- ogy at Montana State College. . Since he receives no pay from the state-entomologist fund his first duty is to the Experiment Station and to the College, one of which pays sixty per cent and the other forty per cent of his salary. It is, then, obvious that the State En- tomologist cannot satisfactorily perform his duties in the Experiment Station, teach classes in the State College, and at the same time devote the necessary time to demonstrating insect control. The actual field work— until 1931 — was carried on to a large extent by an as- sistant working under the direction of the State Entomologist. In 1931 the State Entomologist's appropriation was reduced to $450 and still further cut in 1933 to $300. Now, of course, there is no assist- ant. Furthermore, the Agricultural Extension Service does not em- ploy an entomologist but depends on the State Entomologist to direct and furnish the information for the insect work carried on under the immediate supervision of the county agents. In 1934, with the state facing a great grasshopper outbreak, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the College gladly overlooked the usurpation of the entmomologist's time. That is right and proper in the case of an emergency but should not go too far. Their entom- ologist is no doubt in the best position to direct the work assigned to the office of State Entomologist but he should be given the nec- essary assistance so that other work, which is just as important, may not be neglected. The State Entomologist is asking for an appropriation of ap- })roximately $3,000. That will provide for the employment of a qualified assistant and the necessary expenses connected with the fulfillment of his duties. Wc believe that the farmers of the state TWEXTVFIFTH EEPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 7 realize the importance of this work. Tlie savings made to them through the activities of this office in 1934 are very real. Although the grasshopper bait was supplied by the federal government, the prosecution of the work, the consignment and diversion of hundreds of carloads of bait, the directions under which it was used, the train- ing of the personnel in charge of county campaigns, and a host of other functions necessary to the success of the work, fell to this office. In 1935 not only grasshoppers but Mormon crickets will de- mand very full attention. The State Entomologist appropriation is not to be confused with the appropriation for the State Board of Entomology. Under the latter organization rodent control, as an important factor in the con- trol of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, is carried on in Ravalli and Missoula counties. The work of the State Entomologist covers the entire state but, in spite of that fact, his appropriation in the past two bienniums has been about one-tenth that of the State Board of Entomology. GRASSHOPPERS IN 1933 Fifteen counties carried on organized grasshopper control cam- paigns in 1933. The infested areas conformed very closely to the prediction made in the Twenty-Fourth Report of the State Entom- ologist, issued in December, 1932. The important outbreaks as noted at that time were to be expected in Pondera, Toole, Hill, Valley, Daniels, Roosevelt, Richland, Dawson, AYibaux, and Fergus counties. As will be seen in table 1 these were the counties where the large acreages were treated. Cascade County was somewhat under-esti- mated. Roosevelt and Wibaux counties, although grasshoppers caused considerable damage there, left the control work to individual farmers. In addition to the counties listed and for which some data are given, there were many other counties where farmers were required to devote much time and money to grasshopper control. The total area poisoned pro])ably reached nearly 500,000 acres. In spite of the fact that in some cases protected crops dried up and produced no profit, as in parts of Valley County, in other districts fair yields of grain made the grassliopper work pay for itself many times. Such was the case in Hill County where it was conservatively estimated that from 20,000 to 30.000 acres in crop were saved from the 'hoppers. MONTANA EXrERIMEXT STATION BVLLETIN 294 TABLE 1.— GRASSHOPPERS IN 1933 ' ■ Fuii'ls • xi'.'ii' i- ■! Cascade „ ....$ 6,500.00 Custer 158.00 Dawson 4,000.00 Fergus 2,800.00 Gallatin 550.00 Glacier 750.00 Kill 15,461.31 Lake 300.00 Pondera 3,082.30 Richland 7,200.00 Sanders G3.69 Stillwater 500.00 Teton 350.00 Toole 1,500.00 Valley 13,921.36 Totals $57,136.66 NOTE: The funds extended in some cases do not agree Oned. This j.s di;e to using up old suppHe."? of arsenic and arrangements with farmers relative to furnishing bran. Acres poisoned 26,880 4,400 16,000 83,000 3.000 3.000 51,000 1,200 24,000 36,370 500 2,000 1,500 6,000 177,200 436,050 with the acreage pois- molasses, and special Figure 1. — The 1933 grasshopper-egg survey. Where grasshoppers were pre- dictd for 1934. TWEXTV FlI'TII U'EPORT OF 8TATE ENTOMOLOGIST 9 GRASSHOPPERS IN 193i By Noveiiiher 1, 19.33, it was establislied beyond any doubt that ^Montana would experience in 11)34 the worst grasshopper outbreak in its agricultural history. Eiji:liteen counties were so infested with eggs (see figure 1) that from 50 to 90 per cent of the total acreage in grain and hay crops would have to be treated with poisoned bran mash. Eleven other counties showed infestations ranging from 25 to 50 per cent. Furthermore, these twentj'-nine counties were the ones which produce in most years 90 per cent of our spring wheat and nearly 50 per cent of our tame hay. In manj' of these counties the eggs of the lesser migratory grasshopper (Melanoplus mexicanus) were so abundant that as high as 30 egg pods, each containing about 20 eggs, could l)e found per square foot of stubble. The estimated cost of combating such an extensive outbreak was beyond the finan- cial resources of the state. Figure 2. — Tlie intensity of the 1934 grasshopper outbreak. This indicates where the grasshoppers actually were. ]0 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 Inasmuch as states lying to the east and south of us as well as tlie Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan to the north were facing the same situation, a well organized campaign embracing all the states in the Western Great Plains area seemed essential. Ac- cordingly, a regional conference on grasshopper control, attended by official representatives from seven states and three Canadian pro- vinces was held at Fargo, North Dakota, on November 21-22, 1933. Represented also at the conference were the railroads, grain and elevator interests, and the Northwest Crop Improvement Association. After two days of careful consideration, the conference prepared and unanimously approved the following report : The couforenee members respectfully request that this question of the grasshopper situation be given most serious consideration by Federal authori- ties. 1 — It should be realized that as early as 1928, grasshoppers appeared in sufficient numbers to cause some apprehension and alarm. They have steadily increased in numbers until the agriculture of this region is now facing a situ- ation which may amount to a calamity. Not only have the insects become more numerous, but only in the past season a species called the "Migratory" grasshopper has appeared. This is a close relative of the old Eocky Moun- tain locust, the species which ruined crops over wide areas from 1873 to 1876. The migi-atory grasshopper is a more destructive type than the species which predominated in the earJy years of the present outbreak. 2 — Carefully prepared statements wore presented at the conference, by entomological leaders and agricultural authorities from the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, "Wyoming, Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana, and the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, Canada. Their re- l)orts were based upon accurate egg surveys of the grasshopper egg infesta- tion this past fall. They were emphatic and positive in declaring that in the entire area grasshopper population has steadily increased since 1928, (s'nce 1931 for Montana). The joint survey of conditions in the Great Plains area made by the Bureau of Entomology of the L". S. D. A. in cooperation with entomological agencies during September and October of the present year, predicts, in all probability, one of the worst grasshopper outbreaks in 1934 in the history of American agriculture. The follo^\-ing table summarizes the statements of the different state authorities. It indicates the number of counties that are apt to have serious grasshopper damage in 1934; the number of acres that may need poison, and the approximate cost of bait material. This sum does not include the cost of transportation and distribution of the bait, nor the administrative expense. TWEXTY-FIFTH EEPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 11 SUMMARY OF 1933 GRASSHOPPER SURVEY V.Y •-->T >' No. oj: counties likely to have serious grasshopper Acres that may Cost of bait at State damage in 1934. need poison S25 r^^i' *■■" Idaho 10 120.000 ^ 1' Minnesota 20 279,834 41,67G.UU Montana 51 3,587,316 448,400.00 Nebraska* 10 200,000 25,000.00 North Dakota 53 5,377.520 679,980.00 South Dakota 68 2.667,396 320,623.00 Wyoming 12 841,600 10.5,200.00 Wisconsin 35 320,000 40,000.00 Total 256 13.393,666 $1,675,879.00 *Estimato mai: >ut survey. Report submitted by: Claude Wakeland. Idaho A. G. Rujrgles, Minnesota ^I. 11. S'.vt'nk, Nebraska Fred D. Butcher, North Dakota A. L. Ford, South Dakota C. L. Corkins, Wyoming E. L. Chambers, Wisconsin A. L. Strand, Montana 3 — It has been conclusively demonstrated that with proper organization and financial assistance, grasshopper outbreaks can be controlled. Experience has shown this to be a fact in the control of small infested areas in the past and with the infestation of 1931-1933, it has been thoroughly proven in. Manitoba and Minnesota. 4 — The grasshopper menace which has been increasing and spreading in the northwest for the past five years has now reached a point where it is completely beyond control of the individual counties and states. The prob- lem has become one of not only interstate, but international scope because of the recent rise to major imiiovtance of a species of grasshopper with pro- nounced migratory habits. The conference believes, and strongly recommends, that an extensive control program, interstate in character, be inaugurated at once. It is absolutely necessary that a comprehensive campaign be immediately developed in order to save a large jiart of the 193-t crop. The grasshopper control program should be so organized that it deals with the present emergency and it should abo be permanent in character in order to prevent recurrence of the present situation. ii — (A) The conference suggests that the foHowing brief outline should serve as a basis for organizing tlie emergency program. The U. S. Bureau of Entomology, and state grasshopper control committees, shou.d be charged with the responsibility of the direction of the campaign, including allocation of funds to the different states, methods of state, county and township or- 12 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 ganizations for control, spreading of poison materials, and all other details necessary for an efficiently conducted campaign. The various states should cooperate with the Federal Bureau and should ininiodiately form a state grasshopper control committee, the chairman of which should, in most cases, be the director of the State Agricultural Exten- sion Service. All matters of policy and administration should be handled through the state control committee and the Federal Bureau. Each county desiring to conduct a grasshopper campaign should make their contacts directly with the state committee, and in a like manner, town- ship organization should be handled through the county committee. (B) A preliminary educational campaign should be started immediately for the purpose of informing producers and business men as to the location of possible outbreaks. At the same time, the plan of organizing the program should bo thoroughly explained as well as other details necessary for a suc- cessful campaign. During the conference it was emphasized repeatedly that the full cooperation of farmers and local business men was imperative for satisfactory results. (C) Thorougli plowing of the land before the grasshoppers hatch in the spring of 1934 will materially reduce their numbers, greatly increase the pos- sibilities of effective control and will reduce the amount of poison bait re- quired. Every effort should be employed to induce such practice. (D) The conference believes it is necessary to make an egg survey in the fall of 1934 in order to locate those areas where there might be a possibility of continued damage in 1935. This survey should be made under the direction of the Bureau of Entomology of the Federal Government in cooperation with state officials. The funds for such Avork should be included in the amount made available for the emergency grasshopper campaign of this coming season. C — The conference gave careful attention to the financial requirements for emergency grasshopper control in 1934. Considering the fact that the entom- ologists declare over 13,000,000 acres will need application of poison bait, it is conservatively estimated that the sum of two and a half million dollars is needed. It was further unanimously agreed by those attending the Eegional Con- ference that this money must be made available not later than January 1, 1934. Delay in securing this money will seriously jeopardize the thorough and early organization which is so necessary among farmers and local business groups. Because of the impoverished condition of many of the worst infested counties, and the practical, if not legal impossibility of raising large sums of money in the counties for the purchase of bait, therefore it is reluctantly concluded that the federal government must be asked to step into this emergency as they have in other regional insect invasions, and provide ade- quate funds for the purchase of grasshopper bait. It was unanimously con- cluded that states and counties could and would find means for financing local organization expense and the cost of transportation and distribution. In proposing this method of financing, w^e advance the sound argument that tlie most equitable spread of the cost of a campaign covering many states, TWENTY-riFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 13 and with ramifying national effects, is to be found in present forms of federal taxation. The Federal Government has invested, and has outstanding loans to the farmers in those areas, sums of money totaling many millions of dollars. This heavy investment on the part of the Government, combined with the inability of the individual states and counties to provide funds, makes it a sound business policy for the National Government to make such funds available to protect its investment. Vast amounts are being expended in the form of relief in these districts and it is the opinion of the conference that -without a curtailment of grasshopper damage next year, even more extensive relief measures will be required in 1935. 7 — The conference does not contemplate more than one year of this emer- gency work. But it docs recommend that a long-time program of grass- hopper control be worked out between the federal government and the state entomological organizations, with the idea of eliminating the recurrence of such extensive outbreaks as the present one. Since surveys are fundamental prerequisites for efficient control campaigns, it is recommended that the con- tribution of the Bureau of Entomology be an annual grasshopper survey. It is expected that tlic individual states will take advantage of this survey and stamp out local outbreaks before they reach major proportions. Figure 3. — The li>34 grasshopper-egg siir\ey. Where grassluippi'i- outlireaks aie X)redicted for 1935. 14 MOXTAXA EXPEKniKXT STATION lULl.l-rriN 204 8 — The members of the conference Avcre imiJiessod witli tlie activity of many Xorthwestern congressmen in their efforts to secure funds for grasshopper control in 1932. They wish to commend such work and they request con- tinued support for the program outlined in this report. 9 — The Eegional Conference was impressed with the close cooperation and exchange of ideas that exists between Canadian and United States scientific workers and officials. It is also impressed with the fact that Canada already has under way an extensive campaign to control grasshoppers next year and will carry out this campaign regardless of what is done in the United States. Such action places upon states and Federal Government the resi)onsibility of controlling grasshoppers south of the Tuteniatioiial Boundary to jirevent re- infestation of Canadian farms. 10 — It is recommended the conference appoint an executive committee to be charged with the responsibility of making every effort to carry out these policies outlined in this report. This committee should be given the authority necessary to appoint additional or supplementary committees when they deem it necessary. 11 — The members of the conference believe that there is no problem which so seriously jeopardizes the harvesting of a satisfactory crop in the infested regions in 1934, and since it is so definitely nnked with present day relief ■work, it was unanimously voted that a copy of this report be sent to the President of the United States and to the Secretary of Agriculture. Eespectfully submitted, H. E. Sumner, Northwest Crop Improvement Association A. G. Euggles, State Entomologist, Minnesota J. C. Taylor, Montana Agricultural Extension Service B. E. Groom, Greater North Dakota Association H. L. Walster, Dean of Agriculture, N. D. A. C. Fred Eiebe, Kellogg Commission Co., Minneapolis Walter Mills, Washburn Crosby Co., JMinneapolis Berry Akers, The Farmer, St. Paul Evan Hall, tlie ^Milwaukee Eailroad Montana's representatives at this eonfereiiee were J. ('. Taylor, Director of the Montana Agricultural Extension Service, and A. L. Strand, State Entomologist. As a direct result of this conference and 1he effective work of western senators and congressmen, to say nothing of the tireless ef- forts of Mr. If. R. Sumner, secretary of the Northwest Crop Im- provement Association, a federal ;ipproi)riation of $2,;^54,898 became available March 28, 1934, for grassliopper control. In the initial allo- cation of ))ait JMontana's share in tliis appropriation became $469,690. .However, before the season was over addition.al alhitments of bait TWENTV-FIFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 15 brought the amount of federal money as represented in bait ship- ments to Montana to .$496,834. However, all of this was not used and a carry-over of bait valued at .4:74.230 is now in storage for the 1935 work. ORGANIZATION OF THE 193i GRASSHOPPER CAMPAIGN As authorized under the federal regulations, a state grasshopper control committee was set n]\ This consisted of the following persons: .r. (". Taylor, Director Moiilinui Agricultural Extension Service. Cliair- man Alfred Atkinson, President of [Montana State College F. B. Linfield, Director ]\[ontana Agricultural Experiment Station A. H. Stafford, Commissioner of Agi-iculture A. L. Strand, Entomologist, Montana Agricultural E.xperiment Station, and State Entomologist At the first meeting of this connnittee. A. L. Strand, as State Entomologist, was appointed state leader. His duties were as follows: 1. Acting for the committee, to receive applications for federal grass- hopper bait from the counties. '2. To cooperate with tlie federal headquarters at [Minneapolis in direct- ing the consignment of bait to Montana points. 3. To act as a clearing house for all reconsignments and diversions of bait Avithin the state. -t. To organize the state into districts and to see that counties securing bait Avere properly organized to use it in the most effective manner. ."). To arrange for the appointment of county leaders in such counties where no county agents were already available. (5. To conduct the campaign in the most effective manner possible. To issue printed circulars on methods of using the bait as well as all other phases of the \vork. Accordingly the state was divided into five districts, three of which had assistant state leaders to act as supervisors. The districts and personnel were as follows : District 1. W. 1',. Mabee, Assistant State Leader County County Leader Blaine E. G. Ferguson Daniels Cha*. L. Eichhorn^ Phiilips H. M. Oefstos Roosevelt A. W. Warden Sheridan ., O. A. Lammers' Valley C. H. Willson •Under special federal ajipointment for grasshopper control work. 16 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION liULl.ETlN 29i District 2. F. E. :MaeSpadden, Assist;nit Stato Leader County County Leader Cascade R. E. Cameron Chouteau G. A. Rasslcy Fergus W. IL Jones Glacier A. L. Wliite Hill E. Sandberg Judith Basin Basil Ashcraft^ Liberty Harold (lundcrson^ Pondera A. C. Peterson Teton Fred S. Willson Toole Harolil (Uimlerson^ District 3. W. Ellis "Westlake, Assistant State Leader Carter ) ,- . , . „ ,, ' Ixeifli Sinie Fallon I Custer / Ti T -r,. ; — \V. 11. LaiHi)hcre Powder River ( Dawson T. li. Ilolker Garfield Carl Sloa}i' McCone Tlios. S. Hunt^ Prairie Fred A. Finch Petroleum Carl Sloan' Richland O. P. Roberts Rosebud Ralpli D. Mercer Treasure Roy A\'ard, County Commissioner Wibaux :\r. P. Ostby District 4. No district leader County County Leader Big Horn Geo. W. Gustafson Broadwater R. E. Ward Carbon F. Gordon West lake' Gallatin G. A. Woolley Golden Valley F. P>. l>eterson Jefferson 1. C. ;Mayfield- Lewis & Clark R. E. Ward Madison J im. P. Rupj)el' Meagher (H. M. Brady, County Clerk) Musselshell F. B. Peterson Park (11. W. Knox, County Clerk) Stillwater C. J. S])aulding Sweet Grass Laurence Lyall' Wheatland Laurence Lyall' Yellowstone . M. B. :\IcKee 'Under special fedei'al a])pointment for ;;rassliop]ier conti'ol work. -Smith-Hughes Instructor, local High School. TWENTY- FIFTH REPOKT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 17 District 5. No district leader County County Leader Beaverhead Bernard Williams^ Flathead R- G. Newell Granite Lake J. C. Paisley Missoula M. iL Oliphant Powell A. W. Johnson- Sanders H. R. Armeling "Smith-Hughes Instructor, local High School. The law passed by congress earryinp; the urasshopper appropria- tion stated specifically that bait was to be furnished only to sueli counties and such communities as were properly organized to carry on the work in the most efficient manner. The type of organization recommended was exactly that which had been in use in grasshopper campaigns in Montana as early as 1917 and rather extensively used in the large grasshopper outbreaks in this state from 1920 to 1923. The method is described in detail in a Montana Agricultural Exper- iment Station leaflet entitled "How to Kill Grasshoppers," pub- lished in 1923.* Briefly, each county was divided into communities by the county leader. In each community a leader was appointed although in some cases a committee of three farmers acted for the community. Every district had from one to several mixing stations where the required amount of water was added to the bait. The community leaders and the foremen of the mixing stations had specific duties to perform. Further organization came about through four or five farmers who lived near each other, combining their efforts in the important work of spreading the bait. (See later section on tlie use .of mechanical bait spreaders.) Large scattering crews, in some cases financed through relief money, were organized to treat important stretches of unoccupied land. Grasshopper control by means of poisoned bait was nothing new to thousands of Montana farmers. Many community chairmen and foremen of mixing stations had acted in the same capacity during the grasshopper outbreaks of the early '20s. In spite of this general fa- miliarity with the methods to 1)e employed, 18.171 farmers attended the organization meetings and many hundreds more the various demonstrations held a little later in the season. *Probably nothing new in the way of organization. A very similar method was used in China for the collection of destructive locusts in the fifth century A. D. 18 MONTANA EXPEEIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 From the experience of the 1934 campaign it can be said very definitelj- that the results in any county or community are directly proportional to the amount of supervision available. Better work was done in the three districts where district supervisors were em- ployed than in the other two districts. With a few notable exceptions, better results were obtained in counties where the county leaders could devote all their time to the control of grasshoppers. CONTROL OF GRASSHOPPERS BY POISONED BAIT IN 1934 Table 2 gives the amount of grasshopper bait supplied under the federal appropriation to each of 51 counties of the state. The total bait from this source was 19,109 tons. In addition to the federal bait ten counties received a total of 340 tons of bait from an appropri- ation made for this purpose hy the Montana Relief Commission, and Fergus County purchased sixty tons. Consequently there was avail- able altogether 19,509 tons. The formula used by the federal gov- ernment and followed also in preparing the relief bait was as fol- lows : Bran _ 50 per cent Sawdust 30 per cent Cane molasses 15 per cent Crude arsenic 5 per cent (90 per cent arsenions oxide) All the bait was mixed in feed mills located in Billings and Liv- ingston, Montana, and at several different points in Minnesota. The bran, sawdust, and arsenic, in correct proportions, were fed into con- tinuous mixers which, by means of mechanical agitators, beat these ingredients together thoroughly before the hot molasses was sprayed on to them. Contrary to popular belief, the molasses was used pri- marilv as a binder, for otherwise much of the drv arsenic would have separated from the bran and sawdust during shipment. Al- though the formula used could have been cheapened somewhat and still would have given as good results in most localities, the necessity of providing a bait which would give the very best results under a wide variety of conditions prevented the officers in charge from taking any such chances. Their judgment in this regard was cer- tainly' beyond reproach and had the backing of ever}' entomologist in the various states concerned in the campaign. It is very difficult to predict exactly when grasshopper eggs are going to liateh. This is solely on account of our not being able to TWENTY-FIFTH REPOKT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 19 TABLE 2.— GRASSHOPPER Bait received TotaT Federal State reli'ef bait County (tons) (tons) (tons) Beaverhead 40 6 40 Big Horn 280 20 300 Blaine 570 0 570 Broadwater 20 0 20 Carbon 213 0 213 ?:r } Cascade 750 0 750 Chouteau 1355 0 1355 ^"^^f ^. I .. 420 0 420 Powder River j Daniels 705 0 705 Dawson 620 0 620 Fergus* 780* 40 880 Flathead 20 0 20 Gallatin 233.6 0 233.6 Garfield 180 0 180 Glacier 30 0 30 Golden Valley 80 0 80 Granite 10 0 10 Hill 1660 0 1660 Jefferson 65 0 65 Judith Basin 440 40 480 Lake 100 0 100 Lewis & Clark 70 0 70 Liberty 630 0 630 McCone 460 0 460 Madison 46.4 0 46.4 Meagher 5 0 5 Missoula - 20 0 20 Musselshell 60 0 60 Park 36.6 0 36.6 Petroleum 60 0 60 Phillips 680 0 680 Pondera 700 0 700 Powell 20 0 20 Prairie 400 0 400 Richland 730 20 750 Roosevelt 1210 0 1210 Rosebud 340 0 340 Sanders 50 0 50 Sheridan 1465 0 1465 Stillwater 340 40 380 Sweet Grass 40 0 40 Teton 510 60 570 Toole 450 0 450 Treasure 50 20 70 Valley 765 0 765 Wheatland 120 20 140 Wibaux 320 40 360 Yellowstone 223.4 0 223.4 Totals 19,109 340 19,509^ *60 tons of countv bait also. BAIT SUPPLIES Bait Estimated Bait used 1933 survey on hand (tons) (tons) (tons) 40 27.4 0 274.4 137.8 25.6 502 541 68 20 20.5 0 202 153.9 11 722.4 586 53.0 610 496 140 1141 1591.5 214 368.7 216 51.3 605 891 100 421.4 660 198.6 753 437 127 12 59.5 8 163.8 239 69.8 180 156 0 18.2 123 11.8 50 54 30 10 0 0 1527.8 1614 132.2 28.8 12.8 36.2 414 395.5 66 58.6 109.1 41.4 48 44 22 522 382.5 108 402 622 58 464 38.9 0 5 — 0 13.5 26.4 6.5 40 117.4 20 32.9 20 3.7 60 60.5 0 593.2 668 S6.8 515.8 721.6 184.2 10 26.5 10 292.5 288 107.5 635 664 115 1122 1182 88 319.2 149 20.8 26.1 19.4 23.9 1339 1456 126 248.1 397 131.9 40 16 0 434 404 136 278 395.4 172 57 34 13 411.2 1293 353.8 124 46.6 16 329.8 237 30.2 186.6 187.5 36.8 It-,, -,-,1.4 18.017.7 3,254.6 20 ^[ONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 predict the weather. In some years hatching may begin during the first part of April and again there may not be any economic species of young grasshoppers out until late May or early June. It was highh- desirable in this campaign to have supplies of bait on hand before the hatching of the eggs had proceeded very far. Consequently with the appropriation not available until March 28, and with the federal officers not able to purchase any supplies until that time, there was necessaril}- a great rush at the mixing plants to get the first supply of bait to the counties before the hatching of the grass- hoppers started. This haste in the purchasing and handling of tre- mendous quantities of materials accounted for some of the first ship- ments containing lumpy arsenic and occasionalh^ such high moisture content that heating occurred in transit. However, the method of shipping ready-mixed bait containing everything but the requisite amount of water, especiallj' in a case like this when thousands of tons of poisoned material had to be handled, was very satisfactory. With but very few exceptions, the bait gave excellent results. The rate at which the bait was laid down at Montana points may be seen from the following tabulation : Total number of carloads Date received (20 to 25 ton cars) Up to April 28 30 t, „ May ] 90 „ t, ,1 5 , 190 1, M „ 9 _ 200 M II M 1?) - - 310 M II H 1 7 385 II II M 21 410 n .1 II 25 430 I. I. II 20 480 II II June 2 610 II II t. (> 6G0 M II .. 10 _ 680 " " ti 14 790 " " " IS 810 11 11 11 22 865 " " " 2(5 890 II II n 30 910 II II July 4 910 II II n 8 920 M II II 12 923 From table 2 it will be seen that 3,254.6 tons of l)ait was left over from the 1934 campaign. Offhand it may appear that our ealcula- TWENTY-FIFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 21 tions were veiy faulty. It must I)e reinemhered, liovvcver, that about the first week in July the inevitable loss of practically all dry-land crops in the eastern half of tlie state was finally realized. No mir- acle in rainfall could have made much difference after th;tt time. But as late as Friday, July 6, we liad every reason to t)eli('Vf iliat we were going to be several hundred tons short in spite of the ad- ditional allotments of bait from the federal government and 340 tons furnished by the Montana Relief Commission. Up to that very day thousands of farmers were using bait to protect what crops thej- had from grasshopper invasion and were putting out poison even wdiere no crop remained, in order to remove that hazard for the coming season. As long as this was going on district and county leaders did not wish to release any bait to other sections where crops w^ere good. Only a few days prior to this time, farmers in Fergus County had themselves purchased additional bait and the county commissioners had furnished sixty tons to meet the apparent short- age. Then suddenly it all changed. The spreading of bait in eastern Montana stopped dead. By Tuesday, July 10, we knew the campaign was over there and instead of a bait shortage we had a large surplus. From that time on the demand for bait came mostly from irrigated sections and for the protection of fall wheat, for which latter purpose several hundred tons was used. USE OF MECHANICAL BAIT SPREADERS There are two conditions which must be met if the best results are to be obtained with poisoned bran mash. The first is that the bait must be thinly and evenl}' scattered over the areas where the grasshoppers are. and the second is that the bait must be applied during that part of the day when the grasshoppers are feeding. Under the best conditions one man can spread satisfactorily only about 200 to 300 pounds of bait during the most favorable period in the morning. Of course he can get rid of much more but we are not speaking of wasted ])ait. In previous campaigns it was well known that farmers, faced with covering a large acreage, would con- tinue to spread bait throughout the entire day which resulted in a great waste of materi;d and dissatisfaction over the results obtained. In other cases when they realized that they could not possibly cover the infested areas they became discouraged and stopped poisoning. Montana farms are larger and operated with much lower man-power 22 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 than farms in the more heavilj- popidated states to the east of us. And so, with necessity being the mother of invention, it was in Mon- tana that the first successful mechanical devices for spreading grass- hopper bait Avere developed. Of course end-gate seeders have been used for many years but most of these seeders were not satisfactory and very few of them were ever available. ^i^ Figue 4. — A mechanical gi'asshopper-bait spreader mounted on a truck and operated by belt from rear Avlieel. Credit should go to some Hill County farmer (or farmers), who, in 1933, rigged up a combine straw spreader for distributing grass- hopper bait. There have been dozens of variations in the design of this type of spreader but the general idea of all of them is shown in figure -1. Fed from a hopper, or by hand, on to a revolving plate possessing four baffles, the bait is thrown out into a swath some 30 to 50 feet wide. In the true straw spreader type the plate does not revolve but only the four paddles. The onh' essential mechanism, which can not be made bj^ the farmer himself, is a set of beveled TWENTY-FIFTH REPOKT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 23 TABLE 3.— NUMBER OF FARMERS USING BAIT. ACRES TREATED, AND NUMBER OF MECHANICAL SPREADERS IN OPERATION No. farmers using Acres No. mechanical County grasshopper bait treated spreaders Beaverhead 35 8^00 0 Big Horn 420 54,880 — Blaine 500 100,400 — Broadwater 50 4,000 0 Carbon 300 40,292 0 ^^y,*^'" I 925 128,000 30 Fallon ( Cascade 1000* 12-5,000 322 Chouteau 1264 202,780 282 Custer - 490 89,200 — Daniels 580 96,000 280 Dawson 4-50 70,000 — Fergus 1232 173,655 223 Flathead - 45 2,000 0 Gallatin 558 51,846 2 Garfield ..- - 360 36,000 — Glacier -- 120 4,000 15 Golden Valley - 120 9.000 — Granite - 15 2,000 0 Hill 1027 367,200 250 Jefferson 80 4,800 0 Judith Basin 587 73,282 225 Lake 150 10,000. 0 Lewis & Clark 200 6,492 — Liberty 283 ■ 84,407 123 McCone 341 76,000 26 Madison 96 13,683 0 Meagher 20 900 0 Missoula 45 2,500 0 Musselshell 160 7,000 0 Park 82 6,000 1 Petroleum 122 12,620 26 Phillips - 958 100,000 75 Pondera - 820 88,382 147 Powell 25 1,800 0 Powder River 30 2,800 — Prairie - - ■■ 381 61,440 76 Richland 750 108.000 24 Roosevelt 1250 235,000 300 Rosebud 347 44,.304 Sanders 75 4,800 — Sheridan 1345 306,480 — Stillwater 290 79,500 40 Sweet Grass 134 7,500 — Teton - 906 72.545 60 Toole 277 49,749 90 Treasure 125 10,500 8 Valley 845 17.5,668 40 Wheatland 90 22,000 — Wibaux — 52.000 — Yellowstone - 500 36,000 • — Totals 73207805 3T320,'405 27665 *2,000 others in towns to protect gardens. 24 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 lu 193-1 a ]ie\v de\c]opinent took place. The transmission of old cars, especially those of Model-T Fords, became very much in demand. By properly cutting off the drive shaft and drive shaft housing, the essential beveled-gear device is obtained. A disk fitted with four stationary blades is mounted fast to the shaft which operates in a vertical rather than its accustomed horizontal position. The end of the shaft extends upward into the hopper used for holding the supply of bait and there, with the proper fitting, acts as an agitator to keep Figure 5. — A battery of grasshopper-bait spreaders constructed from the transmissions of Model-T Fords. a stead}" flow of bait falling on the revolving plate below. A battery of such spreaders is shown in figure 5. Whereas a man spreading bait by hand can cover but five or six acres an hour, most of the mechanical spreaders will cover from forty to sixty acres pei' hour and do a very much better job. The bait is spread so well and so evenly that it is difficult to find. But the grasshoppers find it and seem to prefer the fine individual flakes of poisoned bait for extraordinary kills were obtained by as little as six to eight pounds of the wet bait per acre. The third column of table 3 shows that 2,665 such spreaders were in use during 1931. Data are lacking from some counties where we know large numbers of spreaders were employed so that the total number in use was close to 3,000. TWEXTV FIFTH REPORT OF RTATF l•:XTO^rOT.O(;TST 2.", GENERAL RESULTS OF GRASSHOPPER POISONING CAMPAIGN IN 1934 By August 28, 1984, twenty-five enmities of Montana had l)een assigned to the "primary drouglit areas." All of these counties had been carrying on grasshopper control work. Such counties as Sheri- dan, Roosevelt, J)aniels, Valley, Phillips, and Richland were some of the very largest users of grasshopper bait. Data on bait received and bait used in the twenty-five prinuiry drought counties as compared with the twenty-six otlier counties engaged in control work, are given below : I*orc'ontage of state's Percentage of state's total bait supply total bait supply received used 25 primary drought counties 51.9 44 26 non-drought counties 48.1 39.2 Balance or unused bait 16.8 It will be seen that more than half of the bait received went to couuties which later became j^art of the primary drought zone. Furthermore, these counties used up more bait than the twenty-six non-drought counties. From this it is reasonable to believe that grasshopper infestations were reduced in drought counties fully as much as in the other counties where good crops were produced. In fact, on account of its being somewhat easier to kill grasshoppers where crops are sparse than where crops are good, one can safely conclude that even a higher percentage of the grasshoppers was de- stroyed in the dry counties. This reasoning is borne out by the 1984 egg survey. (See figure 8, page 18). No doubt part of the decrease in the number of grasshopper eggs laid in 1984 was due to the extreme drought, for the examination of hundreds of female 'hoppers collected in eastern Montana showed that very few eggs were developed. r>ut dead grasshoppers don't lay eggs either and without much doubt the tremendous reduction in grasshoppers in the eastern half of the state was due primarily to the poisoning campaign. Some of the drought counties got back their seed and, in the irrigated sections of these counties, much crop was saved from the grasshoppers by the strenuous baiting campaign. So even though one can not say that the work there was a great success, neither can he say that it was a total loss. By and large with all factors consid- ered, the general belief prevails that it was worth while. No such involved reasoning need be applied to the north-central counties. In Toole. Liberty, Hill. Teton. Chouteau. Cascade. Judiili 26 MO^'TAXA EXPERl.MKM" HTATIOX BULLETIN 294 Basin, and Fergus, where the s'rcat part of onr 27,000,000 bnsliel wheat crop was produced in 1934, the great majority of farmers are convinced they would not liave raised a tenth of a crop if they had not controlled the grasslioppers. It was in these counties that the very heaviest infestations occurred. Approximately $200,000 of fed- eral money was spent in the non-drought counties. Suppose we dis- regard entirely the large acreages in tame hay, oats, barley, and rye, and also the hundreds of gardens in urban as well as rural sections protected from severe if not total loss. And suppose we discount the word of hundreds of farmers and set down only half of the wheat crop in the worst infested counties as being saved from the grass- hoppers. Even that conservative method of estimating shows a saving of $7,500,000 at current wheat prices. It would seem that the invest- ment of $200,000 was rather amply repaid. PLOWING AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE BAIT METHOD IN GRASSHOPPER CONTROL B}' late summer, 1933, it was realized that grasshoppers were going to be so thick in Montana during 1934 that all possible ways of controlling them should be put to use. The dominant species present was the lesser-migratory grasshopper {Melanopliis mexicanus Sauss.). Whereas other common species deposit their eggs in sod, along ditch banks, roadsides, etc., the eggs of this species are to be found mostly in stubble fields. Experience in the past had taught us that the poisoned bait method of control would lie very seriously handicapped if much "stubbling in" of grain crops was practiced. The poison method is most effective when directed against the invasion of grass- hoppers into a field. When the 'hoppers hatch out all over a field poisoning is inefficient and often ineffective. For these reasons a special effort was made to encourage the plowing of all heavily in- fested fields before the hatching period of the grasshoppers. Fortunately, on account of heavy rains v,'hieh fell over most of the state in September, 1933, plowing conditions were very good and many counties showed an increase in fall plowing of as much as 50 per cent above average years. Considerably more than the usual amount of spring plowing was also don^. although the "stubbling in" idea was far from eliminated. Plowing as a method of destroying the eggs, however, did not give uniformly gootl results. In some cases it was very effective ; in others grasshoppers still liatched out successfully. The moisture con- TWENTY-FIFTH RFPOIiT OF STATK KXTOMf )T,()(;iST 27 ditions in the soil scciiicd to (Iclermine tlie effectiveness of plowing. Moist soil, wcli worked ER.i:\lEXT STATIOX BULLETIN 294 The actual amounts of i)oisoned bran mash (dry weight) used in fiftj'-one Montana counties dui-ing- the 1934 season, together with tlu^ amounts estimated (November 1933) for these counties are given in table 1. Tlie figures fen- the whole state are of some interest: Estimated X'ov. 1P33 Actual Xumbcr of counties requiring bait 31 51 Tons of dry bait 18,017.7 16,254.4 Acres treated 3,613,058 3,320,405 Had it not been for the extreme drought in eastern Montana which stopped all poisoning operations, except on irrigated land, by the first week in July, the estimated and actual figures would have been even closer. Figure 1, the prediction feu- 193-4 as published in November. 1933, should be compared with figure 2 which gives the location and inten- sity of the grasshopper outbreak as it actually occurred in 1934. The prediction map indicates the rating given to the whole county. For instance Blaine County was rated 60 per cent infested so far as the crop acreage was concerned and as shown on the map all of it is in the dark, heavy-outbreak area. This does not mean that grasslioppers were expected to occur at this rate over the whole county. The gen- eral agreement between the two maps is good. No survey' of Powder River County was made in 1933 and other southern counties were rated on very little information. THE OUTLOOK FOR GRASSHOPPERS IN 1935 As shown in figure 3 only one county. Cascade, is given a rating of 50 per cent for 1935 whereas for 1934 (figure 1) eighteen counties were rated 50 per cent or higher. Only four counties may expect infestations from 25 to 30 per cent. These are Liberty. Teton. Park, and Sweet Grass. Infestations in other counties will be of minor importance compared with what occurred in 1934. All counties have been informed in regard to this survey and the estimated amounts of poisoned bait required. The total amount of bait needed for 1935 is 3,073.7 tons. There is on hand at the present time in all counties 3,254.6 tons. There will have to be some shifting of i)ait from counties having far too much to those which have too little. The policy has been adopted, though, of leaving plenty of bait in a county long enough to make sure whether or not it Avill be needed. TWENTY-FIFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 29 SAY'S PLANT BUG The first injury to grain crops in Montana by Say's plant bug {CJdorochroa saiji Stal.), also known as the grain bug (see front cover), evidently occurred in lij;52. During that season a number of wheat fields in Hill County were severely attacked. In V.)'o-i the damage was more severe and over a wider range. By 1934 sevtval thousand acres of wheat were left uncut in the north-central counties because the wheat berries had been destroyed by this insect. It is a very insidious pest for it sucks the milky juice out of the heads of grain. The field attacked may look quite normal, in fact it may appear to i)e a good crop, but at harvest time the heads are found to be practically empty or possessing very shrunken berries. The grain bug is known to occur in all the Rocky Mountain states except Wyoming but its greatest abundance has been reached in I'tah, Colorado, Arizona, and New ^Mexico. Prior to 1932 only three speci- mens were in the collection of the ^Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. All came from west of the Continental Divide. Recent correspondence with entomologists of Western states indicates that the grain bug has been of practically no importance for many years except in western Utah where great swarms occurred in 1932 and caused severe damage to grain. It is evidently one of those insects which is of very spasmodic occurrence, reaching great abundance for a few seasons and then dwindling to unimportance for many succeed- ing years. It is hoped that this will be the case in Montana. A point of great significance in this connection is whether it has always been in the north-central counties or has been introduced there. The former is by far the sounder of the two possibilities. But the nature of its apparent spread from Hill County during the past three years and the fact that no such damage in any degree whatever had been reported from those counties during the previous twenty years seems to lend strength to the introduction idea. Only the adults and the last instar nymphae attack grain, the younger stages living almost entirely on Russian thistle. Hibernation of the adults takes place under weeds and any other protection which may be found in fields or along roadsides. Accordingly the best, if not the sole control measure, consists in the destruction of all weeds by burning in the late fall so as to expose any hibernating adults. The eradication of Russian thistle as a host i)lant is of course out of the question so that all efforts must be directed against the over- wintering adults. Fortunately they do not burrow into the soil. 30 MONTANA EXPEKIME^CT STATION BLLEETIN 294 THE MORMON CRICKET IN 1933 The Mormon cricket {Anabrus simplex Hald.) -wliicli occurred in large swarms on the Crow Reservation in 1981 and then decreased rather sharply in 1932, again became very important in 1933. During that season the range in the Pryor Mountains and in the Dryhead country of eastern Carbon County was nearly ruined l\v these large insects. (See figure 6.) The loss to cultivated crops also increased over that of any previous year. Alfalfa, wheat, barley, oats, and gardens suffered, and in many cases fields were entirely destroyed. The county commissioners of Carbon County appropriated money for the purchase of dusting machines, arsenic, and hydrated lime for use in the Dryhead. Some success was attained in protecting crops but the work was carried out on too small a scale to reduce the huge cricket population to any marked extent. It became only too evident that by 1934 crickets would make up one of the major agricultural problems in this territory. In order to bring l)efore the counties concerned and particularly the Indian Service, the magnitude of the problem and the financial support which would be necessary to control the crickets, a survey of the entire area was undertaken during July and August, 1933. Mr. Frank T. Cowan, an entomologist who had many years' experi- ence fighting crickets in western Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, was employed for a month on this survey. The distril)ution of the crickets v/as determined, the egg beds from which the 1934 brood would come were mapped out, and careful estimates made on the number of men, dusters, arsenic and general supplies which would be needed. Copies of these reports, with maps, etc.. Avere transmitted to the Indian Service, through the superintendent at Crow Agency, and to the commissioners of Carbon County, in September, 1933. THE MORMON CRICKET IN 1934 Nothing was done by the Indian Service until long after the crickets had hatched in the spring of 1934. By May 2, however, the Indian Service and the United States Bureau of Entomology had entered into an agreement relative to the prosecution of the work. Not until late ^lay, wlien the crickets were practically full grown, were poisoning operations begun on the reservation and, although the work was pressed strenuously through June, July and August, the crickets were not controlled in so far as preventing them from laying e^rgs was concerned. ^Mierations from tlieir normal habitats into the TWEXTY-FIFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 31 cultivated crops were prevented for tlie most part Ijut tlie range was destroyed over a wide territory and millions of eggs depositeil for the coming season. WF^ 1 P4 u r IH^^I H^^^l 1' ^1^1 ^^^^^^H •^-. B I^H ^ ^ ^1 ■1 t 1 J r i •.^ - ^^^■■■■l Figure 6. — Mormon eriekets (^Aiiabrus simplex) being herded together preparatory to Ijiirning. Carbon County furnished funds for the purchase of more dusters and large amounts of arsenic and lime. Poisoning of the crickets began in May and extended through most of the season. Relief labor was employed in the dusting operations. This may or may not have had something to do with the results obtained but the fact remains that crickets were not controlled. Millions of them were killed by burning and poisoning and the rest driven l)aek into the mountains 32 MOXTAXA EXPERIMENT STATIOX P-l'LLETIX^ 294 but not enough of them were exterminated to alleviate conditions in 1935 to any great extent. In addition to the Crow Reservation and three areas in Carbon County, Mormon criekets increased to alarming numbers in parts of Fergus, Judith Basin, Chouteau. Pondera, Glacier, and Lake counties. They have been l)ad before in Lake County but not in the other new localities where they have made their recent appearance. The logical thing to do is to wipe out these infestations before control work will become much more costly. The Bureau of Entomology, U. S. D. A. has estimated that the following acreages will have to be treated for crickets in 1935 : Crow Indian Reservation, including parts of Big Horn, Ye.lowstone, and Carbon counties 20,000 acres Fergus County 500 n Judith Basin County - 1,000 u Chouteau County 750 n Pondera County 1,600 n Glacier ("ounty 960 i. Lake County 200 Total 25,010 acres The cost of these operations is estimated at $34,476. As several other western states are facing a similar situation in regard to the Mormon cricket, an effort will be made in the present session of Congress to obtain financial support for the work. While these esti- mates include the hiring of foremen in charge of the dusting crews, no general supervision by men with entomological training is provided. This is expected to come from the state. THE PALE WESTERN CUTWORM The prevalence of the pale western cutworm (Agrotis orthogonia ^lorr. ) is determined very largely by the "Slay. June, and July rainfa'l of the previous year. Following two years of low rainfall this cut- Vi'orm attains such abundance that widespread destruction of grain crops is the usual result. Such was the case in 1932 as described in the Twenty-fourth Report of the State Entomologist. Some "hang- over" from the large 1932 outbreak was evident in 1933 and consider- able loss of wheat v,as experienced in Valley. Fergus, and Cascade counties. Practically no losses occurred in 1934. In 1932 only three weather-reporting stations in ^lontana re- l>orted fainfall for Slay. June, and July of less than four inches. TWENTY-FIFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 3S 111 lf)3;i tliere were tliirteen sueli stations, and in 1934, twenty-seven stations, practically all in the eastern part of the state, showed rain- fail below this amount. Only three stations, Canyon Ferry, East Helena, and Ballantine, reported less than four inches of rainfall during May, June, and July, for hoth W'.V.i and 19:54. An increase in pale western cutworm damage may occur in the vicinity of (Masoil (southeastern Lewis and ("lark County), in the dry-land sections near Ballantine, and to some extent in eastern and northeastern ^Montana in 1935. INSECT PESTS OF FIELD CROPS The Sugar-Beet Leafhopper {Eutettix tenellus Baker) In 1934 the disease known as curly toi) of sugar beets appeared in Montana for what is believed to be the first time in the history of our beet growing sections. The carrier and disperser of this disease is the beet leafhopper. This insect normally breeds in the foothills of arid regions and then migrates to the valleys and sugar beet fields during the early part of the growing season. The disease it carries to the beets is poorly understood at the present time but in many years is responsible for damage estimated in millions of dollars in other Western States. From Laurel to Worden during the ])ast summer fields of beets were found where two to ten per cent of the beets were affected by the disease. In the Bitter Root Valley less than one per cent of dis- eased beets occurred. None could be found in the Milk River Valley. In spite of the prevalence of curly top in part of the Yellowstone Valley and the fact that the disease never occurs without an invasion of leafhoppers, very few of these insects could be collected in the beet fields. It is believed that the few insects present at the time the disease was discovered could not have been responsible for the rather extensive infection wdiich obtained. It has been pointed out at various times in these reports that with shifting climatic conditions in Montana we may expect invasions of southern insects or temporary increases in the normal abundance of local species. During periods of mild weather they increase rap- idly to such an abundance that they are suddenly of great economic importance. However, after the intervention of one or two severe winters or a season of high precipitation, they decline to their normal insignificance. This will probably be the case with the sugar-beet leafhopper. 34 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 Sugar-beet Maggots A maggot of an uiidetermiiied species caused severe damage in a number of beet fields in southern Montana by cutting off the root system (1934). The Beet Welnvorm {Loxostege sticticalis L.) This insect was of slight, if any importance, in 1933 and 1934. Many moths emerged in ]\Iay, 1933. Init the number of larvae which developed was extremely small. This was a remarkable decline from the very extensive outbreak of 1932. The Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa deci)nlineata Say) This destructive insect was far more abundant over the state in 1934 than for several seasons. VEGETABLE AND TEUCK CROPS Cabbage Maggot {Phoibia brassicae Bouche) In spite of a heavy emergence of flies and the deposition of great numbers of eggs on young cabbage plants — especially in the Bitter Root Valley — this insect caused an insignificant amount of damage in 1934. For some unknown reason the eggs failed to hatch. The cabbage butterfly {Pieris rapae L.)and the cabbage aphis {Brevi- coryne brassicae L.) were unusually abundant and destructive. FRUIT INSECTS The Black Cherry Aphis {llyzus cerasi Fab.) There are now 49,466 cherry trees in the Flathead Lake region. The great proportion of these are young sweet cherry trees which have been set out during the past three or four years. One of the most in- jurious pests of young cherries is the black cherry aphis. It with- draws the plant sap and curls the leaves, thus devitalizing the trees, and distorts the terminal growth. (See figure 7.) The main causes of failure to control this insect in the past have been poor spraying — due largely to lack of })roper equipment — and poor timing of the sprays that were put on. It was demonstrated in 1934 that from 9-3 to 98 per cent control could be obtained by two sprays. The first was applied shortly after the first young aphids had hatched from the overwintering eggs and were resting on the opening buds (March 24). The second was applied April 12 to catch the late hatch of aphis. Thus the majority of the plant lice were killed before the leaves were out. After tlie leaves have begun to curl spraying is ineffeetiA'e. TWENTY-FIFTH REPORT OF STATE ENTO.\I0LO(4IST 3.^ In the above sprayins^ t\vo eoiuhiiiation.s of materials were used. One was a nicotine sulphate, 1 to 8U0. witli the addition of about 3 pounds of dissolved laundry soap to 50 gallons of spray. The other was a combination of nicotine sulphate, 1 to 800, togeth'n- with Orthol K summer spray oil at 4 per cent strength. The former gave 95 per cent control, the latter 98 per cent. The oil could have been reduced to 2 per cent and about the same kill obtained. It is believed that a third spray is also necessary shortly before pickiug time to destroy stray migrants. Further studies on control and on the life history of the black cherry aphis will be made in 1935. r Figure 7. — Young cherry tree showing a distorted terminal growth caused by a heavy infestation of the black cherry aphis the previous season. 36 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 Th(> (Miorry Fruit-Fly {Rhiujoletis fausfa (). S.) This insect, which has occurred in relatively small numbers on the east side of the Flathead Lake for several seasons, was more of a scare than a problem in 1934. It prefers to oviposit in sour cherries and most of the orchards of the locality consist of sweet varieties. The population of flies was so small the past season that efforts at control seemed wasted. However, in 1933, tbey were more numerous and judging from the large number found in wild pin cherries, this in- sect is at least an important potential pest. Next season may throAv new light on the situation. Yellow Jackets {Vespidae) This insect appeared this year after most of the Flathead cherry crop was harvested. A few attempts at control gave very poor re- sults. These pests become very serious in some seasons and no satis- factory control method is known. Luckily there is some natural force which reduces the wasps to a minimum following a season of great abundance. Miscellaneous Cherry Insects of Flathead Orchards In orchards on recently cleared land various insect defoliators noticeably affect the young trees for the first two years. Several species of beetles and caterpillars were responsible. Hand-picking methods usually suffice in controlling them. Tent caterpillars, fall M'Cbworms, red-humped caterpillars, yellow-necked caterpillars, and several solitary species were found feeding on the foliage of the larger trees. The Oystershell Scale {Lepidosaphes idmi L.) This is the predominant insect pest of apples in the Flathead region. Trees have been and are being killed or made worthless by the heavy incrustations of scale. Lime sulphur does not seem to be as effective as in the Bitter Root Valley. Many orchardists have been attempting to use lye as a dormant spray but it kills only a small percentage of the eggs. The use of dormant oils has been prejudiced by i>oor results obtained in the fcAv cases where they were poorly applied. The Codling Moth {Carpocapsa pamonella L.) In warm seasons the codling moth causes heavy loss of apples in the Missoula and Kalispell districts. It does not occur in the orchards on the east side of Flathead Lake although it has no doubt been carried into that section dozens of times on apple boxes, etc. TWENTY-FIFTH KEPORT OF 8TATE ENTOMOLOGIST 37 During the summer of 1934 two colonies of Ascogaster carpocap- sae Vier., small parasite of codling moth larvae, were lil)erated, one colony of about 1500 in the Orchard Homes section close to Missoula and another colony of about the same size in an orchard on Rattle- snake Creek, also near Missoula. During 1935 colonies will be released in the vicinity of Kalispell. This is one of the most effective parasites of "apple worms" and it is hoped that it will become well established in Montana. Attempts to recover the parasite as a check on the suc- cess of the introductions will be made in 1935. The Bureau of En- tomology, United States Department of Agriculture, raises these small enemies of the codling moth. In 1934, 40,000 of them were shipped to various fruit districts. INSECTS OF SHADE TREES AND ORNAMENTALS The spruce gall-aphid, Adelgcs coukiji Gillette, has been very abundant in western Montana on Colorado blue spruce during the past two seasons. The cottonwood leaf beetles, Lina scripta Fabr., and Chrysomela lapponica (interrupta) Fab., the cottonwood leaf miner, Zeugophora scutellaris Suffr., and th.e rough plant bug, Brachymena arhoreo Say, were very destructive to cottonwood during both 1933 and 1934. The Virginia creeper leaf hopper, Erythronenra ziczac Walsh, w^hich for years has been working westward up the Yellowstone River, crossed the divide into Gallatin Valley in 1932 or 1933 and since 1933 has become extremelv destructive to vines in Bozeman. 38 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 2tU APPENDIX A few letters received from Montana farmers relative to the success of the 1934 grasshopper campaign: Chester, Montana, July 30, 1934. L*car Sir: The campaign carried on in Liberty County for the oxtemiiuation of grasshoppers, has been a tremendous success. I am fully convinced that had this effort not been put forth for their extermination. Liberty County would have harvested scarcely any crop. I lioi)C tlie good work will be continued in 1935. Yours truly, G. A. Isaacs, President Liberty County Wheat Production Control Association Coffee Creek, Montana, July 20, 1934. Dear Sir: In regards to the grasshopper bait want to say it has surely been a crop faver for us in this community. We haven't killed them all by any means but have kept them down to where the damage they have done is very slight. Expect there will be lots of eggs laid as weather conditions are just right for them, consee^uently I fear we will need the bait again next year. Yours very truly, J. 11. Wilson. Luther, Montana, Aug. 4, 1934. Dear Sir: I wish to thank you for your cooperation in distributing grasshopper poison in this community. It has certainly saved a whole lot of crops in this neighborhood and I do not think it dangerous to stock if handled carefully. I have used a considerable amount of it and have not lost any stock. Have sown it in pastures where I had cows and horses. Have also sown it in sheep pastures but kept the sheep of for three or four days after sowing it nad old not lose any. I sow it veiy thin and leave no chunks. While I have no accurate way of knowing, I believe we killed from 60 to 80 per cent with one soAving. Very respectfully Herman E. Kuhl Scobey, Mont., July 26, 1934. Dear Sir: I have been in on the grasshopper poisoning this summer in Shennum Community and we have had very good results where the poison has been put out at right time. It has resulted in 100 /f kills in places, and where they have not spread any the hoppers are moving in on the green feed that is left. Please do all in your power to have the government keep the poison coming next year. Yours truly, E. B. Henbet TWENTY- FIFTH REPORT OF «TATE ENTOMOLO(;iST :5H Btiulilan.l, Mont., July L'.'), i:i34. Dear Sir: In regard to the grasshopper poison program we worked under this season ill this loca.ity, I am satisfied that it saved many crops, basing my opinion on actual experience and observation. It is, however, an undisputed fact that the instructions given out by the ones in charge of this work were beneficial as to the results obtained in destroying the hoppers, and may I urge that this work be continued until such time tl:at we may have the hoppers de- stroyed. Unless this work is continued until the hoppers are all destroyed tlie work and expense we had this spring would be only a temporary relief. We must keep after these hoppers until we get them a.l destroyed, in this ] am not only expressing my opinion and belief, but this is the general oi)inion of all the farmers in my locality. Yours very truly, 1\[. A. Harney, Geyser, Mont., July 24, ly34. Dear Sir: In answer to your letter of a few days ago in regard to results of poison bait, will say we have had really good results and especially on our oats. But Ave do not want to forget that we still have a lot of work ahead of us this fall if we intend to be able to seed any winter wheat. Also plans for next year's battle should be laid now and not wait until it is too late next year. Respectfully yours, Robert J. McKenna. Moore, Mont.. July 27, 1934. Dear Sir: In regard to the grasshopper poison will say that I am very well pleased with the results obtained. Fields that were poisoned right had practica ly no damage while others that were not poisoned had much damage. Yours truly, Marvin Meisser. Buffalo, Mont., July IS, l!t34. Dear Sir: Had it not been for the grasshopper control program, I would have had very little crop this year, and if the poison is properly handled certainly kills the hoppers. Unless something happens to the eggs tl'.is winter grasshoppers will be bad next year. A'cry truly yours, R. E. Merrv. 40 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 Scobey, Mont., July 24, 1934. Dear Sir: During tliis past season 1 have liad the position of Avhat I call "Grass- hopper Boss" in one of the communities in Daniels County — that of the Silver Star District. It will probably be of some interest to you to learn of our success in this community and am taking this occasion to make a sort of report in this respect, especially since the government has furnished free all the poison bait, and a great part of the expense in getting it spread. In our community it was spread quite freely, and Avithout any hostile attitude, but witli the spirit of cooperation. Am not so certain as to its ef- fectiveness in entirely eliminating the grasshopper pest, but reports are that the kill has been great, the dead hoppers lying in bunches under thistle and weeds but it seems that they have been replaced to a great extent. They drift back again, undoubtedly, from off the extensive vacant lauds and prairies here that have not been subject to poisoning. Think the campaign against the hoppers in this County has been conducted in an orderly way and as effectiA'e as it could have been by most any one. An appreciation is felt towards the government toward its efforts, yet it is also felt that the grass- hopper menace has not been removed for another year, unless nature should take some turn to check the reproduction of the hoppers. Yours very respectfully, Thos. Imbs. Lothair, Mont., July 17, 1934. Dear Sir: Being a member of the Lothair Community Grasshopper committee I can conscientiously say that the grasshopper campaign put on by the Government has been a grand success. I am of the opinion if we had not had this help to poison off the grasshoppers that we would have had a very short crop, and ] am sure that a majority of the farmers are very thankful for this con- sideration from the government. Lee Violet. Scobey, Mont., July 26, 1934. Dear Sir: As a committeeman of the Julian district I Avant to Avrite you a few lines in regard to the results of poisoning hoppers in our district. Will say Avhere it was put out at the right time and right Avay, Ave had a one hundred per cent success. Very truly yours, Frank Getchel.