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MONTHLY LETTER OF THE BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Number 115

November, 1923

HARRY W. VINTON

Harry W. Vinton, who was employed in the Bureau of Entomology for
more than 17 years, died at Pittsfield, Mass., Octoher 29, 1923. About two
years ago Mr. Vinton suffered a severe attack of pneumonia and since that
time has steadily declined in health, although he was able to attend to his
duties until last July.

Throughout his long employment with the Bureau Mr. Vinton worked on the
Gipsy Moth and Brown-tail Moth project. He was made first assistant to the
officer in charge of field control work against these insects when work was
begun by the Bureau in 1906. In 1913 he was assigned to the position of
first assistant in the quarantine section of the moth work and retained
this position up to the time of his death.

Prior to his employment with the Bureau, Mr. Vinton served the State
of Massachusetts in various capacities in the work conducted by that State
against the gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth, having begun his employ-
ment with the State in April, 1893.

Being naturally observant and interested in insect and bird life,

Mr. Vinton became well acquainted with many of the New England species.

His ability and long experience in field operations, including quar-
antine v/ork, made him an especially valuable and efficient employee. His
loss to the Bureau is greatly regretted by all those who knew him. — A. F. B.

CEREAL AND FORAGE INSECT INVESTIGATIONS
G. A. Dean, Entomologist in Charge

The final scenes for a new motion picture film on the corn borer
adapted to middle western conditions were taken in Ohio during the week
of November 26. It is hoped to have this film ready for exhibition some
time during the first half of December.

The storehouse and motor base for the corn borer quarantine control
work In the Middle West has been transferred from Toledo, Ohio, to the
corner of Clark and Kipling Streets, Elyria, Ohio. C. E. Towle will be
in charge.

W. R. Walton and L. H. Worthley visited Brooklyn, N. Y., November 23
to Inspect an area near Fort Hamilton which recently has become infested with
the European corn borer.

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Prof- Geo» A- Pean hs»s just returned from an extended trip, during
which he visited the field stations of Cereal and Forage Insect Investiga'-
tions at Ar],.1,ngton;, f-lasso , Silver Creek, Y., Sanduslcy, Ohio, Charlottes-
ville, Va, , Lalfayette, Ind. , Centralia, 111^, Y'^ehster Grove, Mo», Wichita,
KanSc s Salt Lake City, Utah. Billings, iiont.., Pitzville , Washo , Forest Grove,
Oreg- , Sacramento, Calif., Tempe, Ariz,, and San Antonio, Texas. He also
visited many of the departments of entomology of the agricodtural colleges
and State universities, and had conferences with entomologists and with the
directors of the experiment stations of many of the States. In all of the
places visited and at the conferences attended he found a deep interest in
entomological work and a splendid spirit of willingness to enter into
cooperative worko

TEUCU-CHOP INSECT INVESTIGATIONS
J. Ep Graf, Entomiologist Acting in Charge

J, E, Dudley visited Yfeshington during the latter part of November
to take part in the pea aphis conference and revise publications for,
reprintinga

E. Campbell has just returned to his station at Alhambra, Calif.,
from a visit to the San Francisco Bay pea-growing regions, where he has
outlined control ejqjeriments for the coming season*

S, G. Smyth has just returned to Yfashington from Mexico and Guatemala,
where he was engaged in col.lecting and shipping parasites of the Mexican
bean beetle. Y/hile Hr, Smyth did not discover any new parasites of this
insect, he collected large numbers of a tachinid parasite in the vicinity
of Mexico City. Some of these parasites were sent to the western station
in New Mexico for hibernation, but most of them were shipped to Birmingham, Ala*

W. Ho Vdiite visited Onley on the Eastern Shore of Virginia November 7
and S, where he investigated an outbreak of the tuber moth on potatoes in
the East,

A pea aphis conference was held a.t the Bureau of Entomology November
20 and 21, This meeting was called primarily to continue the cooperative
work initiated at Chicago last year, review the accomplishments of the past
season, and mnke pl.ans for further work. Representatives from the entomolog-
ical departmients of the inportant pea«canning States were present, in addition
to pea canners, entomologists of some of the insecticide companies, and members
of the Bureau of Entomology, The State representatives included T. J, Headlee,
of New Jersey, P. J. Parrot, of New York, Plerbert Spencer, of Virginia, E. N,
Cory, C. C. Hamilton, Geo. S. Langford, and S. F, Potts, of Maryland, TL P.
Flint, of Illinois, J. J. Davis, of Indiana, C. L. Fluke, of Wisconsin, and
E. 0. Essig, of California-

lilSSGT INVESTIGATIONS

F. C. Craighead, Eorest Entomologist in Charge

Doctor Crai^ead left Washington November 25 to attend a conference
of the western field men at Klamath Ealls, Oreg, The program involves
a review of recent control projects and the res'olts obtained, also a
discussion of epidemics of defoliating insects which are causing extensive
losses at several points in the West* Forest insect surveys, including
estimates of the annual losses caused by barkbeetles and special investiga-
tions on various phases of control, cycles of outbreaks, etc,, will be
consideredo

En route to Klamath Falls, Doctor Craighead will stop at the Minnesota
Agricultural Experiment Station, St, Paul, Minn., to confer with Dr. Wra. A,
Eiley and Dr, S, A, Graham, and with R* Zon of the Forest Service
Experiment Station regarding investigations in forest insects in the Lake
States, in coopera,tion with these institutions.

Dr, M, W, Blackman, of the New York State College of Forestry,
recently spent several days in V/ashington conferring with officials of the
Division of Forest Insects and examining tj'pes of Scolytidae, It was
agreed that closer understanding of the respective forest insect investiga-
tions conducted by the Nei/i York State College of Forestry and the Division
of Forest Insects of the Bureau of Entomology would be of benefit to both
institutions. Doctor Blaxkman has -ondertaken to assist the Division of
Forest Insects in the determination of Scolytidae,

J, C. Evenden has submitted some interesting data on the results of
submerging white pine logs to destroy v/ood-boring larvae. During the season
of 1922 a serious fire occurred in the Marble Creek drainage of the St, Joe
River, Idaho, Several logging camps v/ere destroyed, and from I50 to 200
million board feet of high quality white pine v/as killed. Before the fire
was completely extinguished, plans were made for the salvage of as large
a percentage of this fire-killed timber as possible, A few weeks after the
fire it was noticed that a large percentage was heavily infested with wood-
borers, Inasmuch as freezing weather would set in \?ithin a few days, it
was believed that little further damage v/ould be done by the attacking
larvae during that season. Furthermore, as these logs were to be driven
through 30 miles of white water and 60 miles of still water, which would
require several weeks, it was believed that the insects would be killed and
that there would be no Further damage to the logs, as the drive would occur
before spring activity v/ould take place, liihen the first of these logs arrived
at the mill, however, it was found that the larvae were very much alive and
soon became active v;hen placed in the sun. Though there was a very heavy
mortality, there v/ere still many larvae which were not killed by the sub-
mergence in v/ater for a period of over six weeks,

J. M, Miller has raised the question, "What caused the outbreak of
Dendroctonus brevicorais on the California National Forest?" An examination

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of the area where a rather spectacvilar outhreak developed during 1922 was
made during the period from October 20 to 27« Because of the large grouping
of yellow pine killed hy brevicomis in 1922, a decline of infestation in
1923 was expected, but the extent of the decline which actually occurred
was beyond anything previously recorded in any infestation studied. On an
area near Alder Springs where 120 trees were spotted in the fall of 1922,
only 4 trees were found this yeaxv The JOO-acTe check on Elk Mountain,
where 27 trees were killed in 1921, increased to 225 trees in 1922, but in
1923 only 8 newly infested trees could be found, only one of these being
infested by the fall brood« Everywhere the pine type was examined a similar
condition was founds The outbreak has simply disappeared in thin air, Mr,
Person spent all of the time on the check area in an examination of bark to
collect data regarding predators, degree of attack, and degree of emergence
in the trees of 1921, 1922, and 1923- A siunmary of these data will probably
bring out some irrportant and interesting conclusions^

J. E, Patterson, H, L, Person, and P, B- Sergent recently conpleted
a survey of the slash on the Keno sector of the Greenspring Highway, Oregon*
This slash was made in May, June, and July, 1923'.> It consisted of the entire
trees bucked to the side of the right-of-way « Of this slash 77 per cent was
fir, both Douglas and white. The pine only was examined. The trees were
mostly of medivim to large diameters, and despite the fact that the slash
examined is in stands where there has never been a heavy infestation (not
over 10 trees per section), but 17 per cent of the trees had been heavily
attacked by D, brevicoinis, A preliminary analysis made by Mr, Person shows
a brood mortality in this slash of 80 per cent and when the subsequent flight
mortality of approximately SO per cent is considered we find the breeding
of the beetles in this slash has actually resulted in a considerable decrease
in the infestation in the area traversed by the highway.

Dr. H. E. Buxke writes that at last a way has been found to make the
cable beetle bore into the cable when we desire him to do so. Take an
ordinary cabinet hinge, place it against the cable with the level sides
of the screw holes facing the cable, place' a beetle in the hole, cover with
a cover glass, and the beetle will bore into the cable every time. Pace
the bevel sides of the holes away from the cable and the beetles will not
bore the cable but will attempt to bore the cover glass. All of this indi-
cates that it is the contact stimulus which causes the insect to bore.

SOUTHEM PI ELD-CROP IHSECT IHVESTIGkTIONS

J. L. Webb, Entomologist Acting in Charge

Dr, W. D. Hunter and B, R, Coad went to New Orleans November 19 to
attend a meeting of the permanent committee appointed by the National Boll
Weevil Menace Convention in October*

T/, B. Williams of the Tallulah, La., laboratory has resigned to enter
private business.

J, Terfc^t of the j'la. , lahoratory left Q,u.incy November 28

for ClarhGville, fenn^ , xfJaere he will rerrain some time.

A rather exteasi'/e acreage of cigarette tchacco will be planted in
portions of northern hlorida. the coming season for the first time. Plans
are being ira.de by the hareau to deteimine practical methods of insect con-
trol for this type of tobacco under the existing conditions. Previous to
this time the region mentioned has restricted itself to the cigar-wrapper
type of tobacco.

To 3, Hollov;ay was in southern Georgia for a short time during Novem-
ber obtaining the results of experiments on control of the sugar-cane
mealybvigr J, V/, Ingram was afterwards sent there from his sbaticn at
Crowley,, La,, and has been engaged in starting field experiments of the same
kind on a larger scale.

To 3« Hollo\7ay and 3^ Haleys, assisted by J. ’.7, Ingram, have been
making examinations on Lcraisiana plantations for the Cuban tachinici parasite
of the sugar-cane moth borer, whi’i ch was released at 4l p. Laces during 1920,
They found the parasite at l6 pi.acitations, at 6 of which it had never been
recovered before. At seme time since 1920 the parasite has been recovered
at 32 plantations cut of the 41, There are indications that the parasite
is becoming distributed over the sugar section, ' though there is no proof
that it is controlling the borer at any one place,

T. C, Barber .traveled in northeastern Mexico during November, investi-
gating sugar-cane insects and making a general collection of the insects
of economic importance in that region.

BE3 CULTUPP INVESTIGATIONS
E, Po Phillips, Apiculturist in Charge

Dr. E, P. Phillips is attending a series of meetings of beekeepers in
North Dakota., South Dalcota, Montana, VJyoming, Colorado, and Illinois,

W, J, Nolan is leaving the first week in December for a short trip to
Europe, V/hile abroad he intends to meet some of the leaders in scientific
apicultural v/ork j.n Prance, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany,

Dr, A. P, Sturt evant v;ill return to resume his work on bee diseases
about December 1.

C, L, Pluke, Professor in Entomology, University of V.'isconsin, was a
recent visitor at the Bee Culture Laboratory,

The Australian Government some time ago prohibited in:portation of adult
bees to prevent the introduction of serious diseases of adult bees, such as

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the Isle of Wight diseaseo An exception is made of the United States, this
being the only country from which inportations are permittedo

FHUIT lUSSCT INVESTIGATIONS.

A. L, Quaintance, Entomologist in Charge

C. P. Clausen and J» L. King, who have been working in the Orient, with
headquarters at Yokohama, Japan, in search of parasites of the Japanese
beetle, are now in T/ashington,

Mr« Ered E. Brooks, of the Erench Creek, Vif, Va. , station, states:
"Several complaints have recently come to the station regarding injury to
walnuts by the walnut husk-maggot, Ehagoletis suavis Loew. Under date of
November 1, 1923, Dr, H. E, Hale, New York City, in writing of injury by
this species to Persian, walnuts at Princeton, N, J., says; ’This season
they. ruined the crop. The worms have made our trees valueless.' Doctor
Hale expects to attempt the control of the maggots next season with arsenical
sprays, Robert Moore, Britton, N. J«, also reports injury to Persian
walnuts by this maggot, E. H, Eiehl, Godfrey, 111., writes that in the
thinner-shelled varieties of our native black walnut the dark juice in the
husk induced by the feeding of the maggots penetrates to the kernel,
discoloring if and inpairing the flavor-

"In attempting, to control chestnut weevils by spraying, considerable
injury was done to several trees of hybrid varieties at Bell Station, Md. ,
with lead-arsenate spray used at a strength of 2 pounds of the lead to 50 ga-l"*
Ions of water, W. R, Eickes, Wooster, Ohio, also injured trees of Boone,
Paragon, Euller, and Progress chestnuts, with a similar spray. Both the
foliage and immature, burs were more or less injured by the applications."

Oliver I- Snapp reports; "A large quantity of lubricating-oil emulsion
will be used this winter for the control of the San Jose scale on peach
trees in the Georgia peach belt. One manufacturer has already sold l4
carloads in the district. Some growers have constructed plants and are
manufacturing their own emulsion. The laboratory has not yet had sufficient
experience with the new emulsion to determine definitely the effects on
peach trees from the continued annual use of the material- Consequently
no recommendation for its use on peach trees has been issued from the
laboratory. Nevertheless many growers are so well satisfied with what has
been learned about the material to date that they are using it in their
conmercial peach orchards this winter on their own responsibility. Scale
spraying has already begun, and indications point to a heavy use of the
engine-oil emulsion here. "

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MISCEmNEOUS INVEST! GA.TIONS

(Items from the National Maseam contributed by S, A. Rohwer)

Dr. E. 0. Essig, of the California Agricultural E::qperiment Station,
Berkeley, Calif. , visited the Division of Insects for a few hours November
27. Doctor Essig is especially interested in methods of arranging collec-
tions, types of cases, and the- amount of material represented in various
groups, and also was glad of the opportunity to become acquainted with
various workers in the Division-^ ■

S. W, Frost, of Arendtgville, Pa,, spent a week working with Doctor
B5ving on leaf-mining coleopterous larvae. Mr. Frost has made a specialty
of the study of leaf -miners , and hopes to have an opportunity to study the
preserved material and slides in the National Collection,

C. C- Hamilton, of the University of Maryland, who recently conpleted
an arrangement of the collection of v the immature stages of Cicindela, is
continuing his work on the immature stages of the larvae of the beetle
family Carabidae. He- is spending one., day a week in the Division.

The collection of exotic coleopterous, larvae has recently been
and labelled in conformity with the Heyden, Reitter, and Weise catalogues
of Coleoptera. The bulk of -this exotic material comes from Europe, The
collection occupies 1,185 vials, and the. rearrangement has taken about
six months. The work has been 'done by Mrs. Nellie McConnell under the
direction of Doctor Btiving.

Doctor Bdving has recently received as a loan for coriparison with
North American forms four elaterid larvae from Denmark, and he and Mr.

Hyslop are continuing their work on the arrangement and classification of
the elaterid larvae in the' collection*

. LIBRARY

Mabel Colcord,. Librarian
New Books

Abderhalden, Emil*

Handbuch der biologischsn Arbeits Methoden. Berlin & Vifien, Urban &
Schwarzenberg, 1920-1923. Ifg- 1-105-

Burroughs, E. H,

Bibliography of petroleum and allied substances, 1921, Washington,
Government Printing Office, 1922. 230 p. (U. S. Dept, Interior*

Bureau of Mines- Bui. 220.)

Bicknell, P, F.

The human side of Fabre. New York and London, The Century Co., 1923*
3^0 p. ,port.

.. s -

Buitenzorg— Instituut voor plantenziekten,

Mededeeliagen,, Batavie. , 19=^3-

UOc 5/''. Be I'loffieoesoemboeooek Steplianoderes harapei Ferrari

ccffeae Hagedoriu 1» Levenswijze en oecologie. S. Leefmans*

9^ P*

No, 53. Ziekten en pls.gen der cul-tuurgeTrassen in Nederlandsch
Xndie in 1922. C. J. J. Van Hall. 4s p»

No. 60. Levensduur en opBrengst van sawah”*padi in verBand met

onderdom der BiBit, plantijd, e. a. factoren, P. van der
Goot. 39 P» . diagrs.

No. 6l, Be schadeiijke insektem van de rijstplant op Java. W. C.
van Keum. I5I P» . illus.

Carazzi , David,

Parassitologia animals, Ed. 2^ Milano, Societa edi trice liBraria,

1922. U67p., illus. Pt, 3. Artropodi parassiti e trasmettitori di
malattie paras sitaire, p. 32^-450.

Delcurto, M, , Halstead, E, 'J, , and Halstead, H. F.

The citrus industry in the lower Rio Grande valley of Texas, Austin,

1923. (Texas Dept. Agr. Bui. 75.) Citrus insects, p. 76-94.

FaBre, Auguste,

The life of Jean Henri FaBre, the entomologist, 1323-1 910* Translated
By Bernard Miall. New Icrk, Dodd, Mead and Ccmpany, 1923- 39S p.

For el, Auguste, ^

Le monde social des fourmis du gloBe compare a celui de l*homme, v. 5“
Moeurs special.isees , epilogue les fourmis, les termites et I'homme,
Geneve, LiBrairie Kundig^ 1923-' 173 P»» illus., 3 pl-

Froggatt , W«

Forest insects of Australia, Sydney, A. J. Kent, 1923- 171 P»> illus*

Kinsey, A, C,

The gall wasp genus Neuroterus (Hymenoptera) . Bloomington, Ind* ,

June, 1923» I5G P-» illus, (.Indiana Univ. Studies No. 5S-)

MacGillivray, A, D.

External insect anatomy. . . UrBana, 111,, ScaraB Co., 1923- 3^8 p. ,

illus »

Mell , Rudolf.

Biologie und Systematik der sudchinischen Sphingiden zugleich einer
Biologie tropischer Lepidopteren uBer haupt von Rudolf Mell, Berlin,

R. Friedlander & Sohn, 1922. 2 v. (text and atlas), 331 p., 35 pl-

(Beitrage zur Fauna Sinica II.)

Portman, Adolf,

Die Odonaten der UmgeBung von Basel, Beitrag zur Biologischen Systematik
der mitteleuropaischen LiBelle.n. Lorrach, 1921. 101 p. , 2 pi.

Stoner , Dayton,

Reports on the Scutelleroidea and the Orthoptera and Dermaptera of the
BarBados-Anti.gua e::pedition of lo9S— Scutelleroidea of the Douglas
Lake region, 65 p-, illus,, pi. (Univ, of Iowa Studies in Natural
History No. 59, Ivlarch I5, 1922.)

V/ardle, R. A., and Buckle, Philip,

The principles of insect control, Manchester, University Press, 1923-*

295 P*, illus. (Manchester Univ. Biol. Studies Ser. v. 3»)

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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

3 1262 09236 7118

Wheeler, W* M.

Social life among the i.osects. beiDg a series of lectures delivered
at the Lowell Institute in Lostun in March, 1922. New Ycrk, Harcourt,
Brace & Co,, 1923- 375 P-. iHu.s. Documentary appendix — Bibliography —

P- 285-355.

V/oodruff, L. L,

The development of the sciences. . . New Haven, Yale University Press ,
1923. 327 P-, pl. Apx. I, Biographies: p, 261-296. Apx. II. Bibliog-
raphies: p. 297-305.

Wright, J, K.

Aids to geographical research* Bibliographies and periodicals. New
York, American Geographic Society, 1923- 243 p.

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