MONTHLY LETTER OF THE BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Number 183 LIBRARY July, 1928

A VISITO FROM SIAM

Dr. Luang Siribaed Bisuddhi, of Siam, visited the Bureau July 11. Dr. Bisuddhi is perfecting his English under the direction of the Siamese Legation, and expects to enter Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in September, where he will be a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Science in entomology.

Before coming to the United States Dr. Bisuddhi was Director of the Public Health Laboratory of the Department of Health of Siam. He will make observations in the field of entomology while in this country.

CEREAL AND FORAGE INSECTS W. H. Larrimer, in Charge

D. L. VanDine, local director of the Cuba Sugar Club Experi- ment Station, visited the field laboratory at New Orleans on July 13.

Robert J. Webb has accepted an appointment as Junior Entomologist, for duty at Monroe, Mich., effective July 31.

A shipment of nearly nine thousand puparia of Paratheresia sig- nifera Tns . collected by H. A. Jaynes at Cartavio , Peru, was received at the field laboratory at New Orleans on July 11. Mr. Jaynes expects to send from ten to fifteen thousand more puparia from the same place, He has been collecting this and other species of parasites of the sugar- cane moth borer in Argentina, but owing to the approach of cold weather in that country he moved temporarily to Peru. The parasites are sent to New York in the cold-storage rooms of steamships, are received by Harold C. Hallock, of the Japanese Beetle Laboratory, and are immediately transferred to special refrigerator boxes and sent to New Orleans by Ex- press. Wm. H. Freeman, of the Plant Quarantine and Control Administra- tion, also cooperates in transmitting the boxes of parasites.

0. E. Sanders, who is collecting insects for a biological sup- ply company, visited the field laboratory at New Orleans on July 8.

- 2 -

TAXONOMY

Harold Morrison, in Charge

Dr. S. W. Frost, of Pennsylvania State College, called on July 8 to consult with several specialists of the Bureau of Entomology. He returned recently from a trip to Panama, where he studied various leaf-mining insects.

George M. Greene, of Harrisburg, Pa., spent some of his time from July 15 to July 22 working on Coleoptera in the Division of in- sects .

Frank Johnson, of New York City, came to Washington on July 25 to consult with Dr. Schaus and to examine material in the National collections of Lepidoptera.

Henry Bird, of Rye, N. Y., came to Washington July 27 to obtain information on the life history of a rare species of Papaipema, one of the few not yet known to him. With the assistance of Mr. Busck he was able to obtain desired material at Plummer's Island, Md.

Dr. C. E. Mickel has been employed by the bureau to work for the second summer on the mutillid collections, and will be so engaged un- til about the middle of September.

Miss Catherine Ford, a graduate of Iowa State College, has been given an appointment as Junior Entomologist, to continue the work of cataloging taxonomic literature begun by Mrs. Mansuy before the latter was transferred to the Plant Quarantine and Control Administration.

Miss Marjorie Jones has received an appointment as Under Scien- tific Helper, to take the place of Mrs. L. H. Richardson, who resigned

from her position in June.

By transfer from the Biological Survey L. L. Buchanan has been added to the staff of the Taxonomic Unit, in order to work on Rhyncho-

phora and Adephaga for the Bureau of Entomology.

During the month of July the collections of Coleoptera were ex- tensively rearranged, and the work of identification and research on the classification of Coleoptera was divided up among the several spe- cialists more definitely than before. Under the present arrangement H. S. Barber will specialize on the Chrysomelidae and the cantheroid, mordelloid, and several other smaller series of coleopterous families; L. L. Buchanan will handle the Rhynchophora, the Adephaga, and a few other families; Dr. E. A. Chapin has taken over the scarabaeoid, ten- ebrionoid, and most of the staphylinoid series and several individual families from other series; W. S. Fisher will continue his speciali- zation on the Buprestidae and Cerambycidae , and will also be responsi- ble for identifications of beetles belonging to the cucujcid, bostri- choid and elateroid series of families.

- 3 -

Late in July Dr. H. E. Ewing started on another field trip to Virginia and North Carolina, in order to continue his studies on the biology of chiggers.

TRUCK-CROP INSECTS J. E. Graf, in Charge

M. C. Lane, in charge of the field laboratory at Walla Walla, Wash., visited Bozeman, Mont., July 17 to 19, where he conferred with entomologists and other agricultural workers regarding the wi reworm problem in the Pacific Northwest.

O. E. Gahm, of the field laboratory at Arlington, Va., visited mushroom houses in Ohio and Minnesota during the greater part of July. He also spent some time at the University of Minnesota, where through the courtesy of that institution he was able to conduct some tests on the thermal death point of certain mushroom pests.

J. E, Dudley, Jr., in charge of the field laboratory at Madi- son, Wis. , reports that in the vicinity of Columbus, Wis. , the heavy, beating rains early in July reduced the infestation of the pea aphid to a lower point than has ever before been reached since the work on this insect was started in 1922. After this low point was reached and re- production had nearly ceased, as the pea crop approached maturity a large number of several species of natural enemies began to take their toll until, at the time of writing, July 30, there was less than one aphid per sweep of the net. Conditions in that locality were just the opposite of those in northeastern Wisconsin, where rains have been neither fre- quent nor heavy, and a heavy infestation with considerable loss to the pea crop has been experienced. It is believed at present that the heavy rains were the principal factor in the great difference between the in- festations in the two localities.

C. G. Woodbury, of the National Canners Association, Washington, D. C., visited the summer laboratory at Columbus, Wis., during the early part of July.

P. N. Annand has been appointed associate entomologist, to under- take studies of the sugar-beet leafhopper at Davis, Calif.

W. A. Shands has been appointed assistant entomologist and assign- ed to work on the sugar-beet leafhopper at Salt Lake City, Utah.

F. R. Lawson has been appointed temporary field assistant, for duty at Salt Lake City, Utah.

- 4 -

STORED-PRODUCT INSECTS E. A. Back, in Charge

W. D. Reed, of the Dried Fruit Insect Laboratory at Fresno, Calif., spent May 9 to 22, 1929, at headquarters for consultation,

examination of literature, and preparation of manuscript.

Mrs. Helen Russell, of the Santa Clara, Calif., plant of Libby, McNeill & Libby, spent July 25 to 29 at the Dried Fruit Insect Labo- ratory, studying the insects affecting dried fruits, and literature relating to the subject.

On May 18 George R. Bell was appointed Field Assistant and as- signed to the Dried Fruit Insect Laboratory.

On June 17 Lawrence M. Fenwick was appointed Field Assistant and assigned to the field laboratory at Sligo, Md.

George B. Wagner, who received the degree of Master of Science in Entomology last June from the Kansas State Agricultural College, was appointed Assistant Entomologist July 13, and has been assigned to investigations of flour-mill insects in the southwestern milling district. Mr. Wagner spent July 22 to 24 in Washington.

In a press release from Berkeley, Calif., dated July 13, enti- titled "Bean weevil was pest as far back as history goes," there is the following interesting statement: "Red lima beans taken from the ancient Indian graves in the Valley of lea and Ancon Necropolis in Peru show the v/orR of the bean weevil. Ica records date from 1 to 500 A. D., whereas those of Ancon are more recent by a thousand years. However, according to Professor Essig, both antedate the arrival of the Span- ish in Peru. An adult bean weevil taken from the Ancon beans does not differ in anatomical characteristics from the bean weevils of today. The insect was first described by Thomas Say in 1831, from specimens taken in Louisiana."

Perez Simmons reports that in the month of July 15 visits to ranches and 8 to packing houses were made from his laboratory, and that there were 29 visitors to his office, including H. R. Fulton, Citrus and Subtropical Fruit Disease Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry; E. R. deOng, consulting entomologist, San Francisco; Dr. H. N. Hansen, of the Department of Plant Pathology, University of California; W. B. Parker, of the California Spray Chemical Co., who formerly v/orked on dried-fruit insects for the Bureau of Entomology; Dooley P. Wheeler, Horticultural Commissioner, and J . L. Quail, Farm Adviser, Merced County, Calif.; W. S. Follette, Assistant Secretary, and C. D, Fisher, Chemist, Dried Fruit Association of California; Samuel R. Coker, of the Pedigreed Seed Company, Hartsville, S. D.; and Dr. R. T. Cotton.

On June 28 Dr. Back attended the Convention of the Tobacco As- sociation of the United States, which met this year at Hotel Cavalier, Virginia Beach, Va.

- 5 -

Dr. R. T. Cotton left Washington July 5 for a visit to the field laboratories at Modesto and Fresno, Calif. While on the Pacific Coast Dr. Cotton will visit various establishments conducting work of interest

to this office.

INSECTS AFFECTING MAN AND ANIMALS F. C. Bishopp, in Charge

J. L. Webb and H. S. Peters returned to Washington on July 17, having completed the season's investigation of cattle grubs in Vermont. With a view to securing specimens of ectoparasites of birds, or infor- mation concerning such ectoparasites, they made contacts with several men before leaving New England.

On July 10 Messrs. Webb and Peters called upon C. H. Whittle, Peterboro, N. H. , a vice president of the Northeastern Bird Banding Association, to discuss the matter of bird ectoparasites, especially Hippoboscidae and Mallophaga. On July 11 L. F. Fletcher, of Boston, another vice president of the same association, was interviewed con- cerning the securing of parasites of birds in connection with bird banding. On the same day they had an interview with C. W. Johnson, of the Boston Society of Natural History, Boston, Mass., in which the mat- ter of bird ectoparasites, principally Protocalliphora, Hippoboscidae, and Mallophaga, was discussed. The Bennett collection of Mallophaga was examined by Mr. Peters in the short time available. On July 12 they met a bird-banding party on Cape Cod, made up of Dr. John B. May, State Ornithologist of Massachusetts, C. B. Floyd, Secretary-Treasurer of the Northeastern Bird Banding Association, and 0. L. Austin, Jr., a graduate student in ornithology at Harvard University. These men are engaged in banding nestling common terns on the islands off Chatham, on Cape Cod. Some time was spent with them in going over the work of banding and in discussing the matter of parasites of birds. Mr. Austin has sent to the Bureau many Mallophaga from collections made by him in Labrador, British Guiana, and British Honduras.

A move has been inaugurated by the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks for the elimination cf mosquitoes in public grounds and around public buildings, especially the White House. On July 16 F. C. Bishopp attended a meeting called to discuss plans of procedure. The others attending the meeting were Col. U. S. Grant, 3rd, Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks, Dr. W. C. Fowler, District Public Health Officer, Dr. J. T. Boone, of the Navy Medical Corps, Maj . Rob- ert D. Harden, of the Army Medical Corps, Dr. C. E. Waller, of the United States Public Health Service, Maj . S. M. Corbett, Medical Inspec- tor of Public Buildings and Public Parks, and Ralph E. Tarbett, of the U. S. Public Health Service.

- 6 -

DECIDUOUS-FRUIT INSECTS A. L. Quaintance, in Charge

Dr. Quaintance recently visited the field laboratory at Moorestown, N. J., and went over the work there under way in some detail with L. B. Smith, in charge. A visit to Westbury, Long Island, was made to observe the investigations on the Asiatic beetle being conducted there by H. C. Hallock and his assistants.

Late in July Dr. B. A. Porter visited the field laboratories at Vincennes, Ind. , and Sandusky, Ohio, to make observations on work under way. In company with Messrs. R. F. Sazama and William P. letter, Jr., he spent half a day with Prof. W. P. Flint in southern Illinois, looking over experimental work on the control of the oriental peach moth.

William Blakiston, a student at George Washington University, was appointed Field Assistant, July 15, and assigned to duty at the field laboratory at Sligo, Md., where he is assisting Luther Brown in investigations of parasites of the codling moth.

B. E. Montgomery, who has received his master's degree at Pur- due University, has been appointed Field Assistant at the field lab- oratory at Vincennes, Ind., where he is assisting in investigations of deciduous-fruit insects.

COTTON INSECTS B. R. Coad, in Charge

G. C. McGinley, airplane pilot, stationed at Tallulah, La., ar- rived in Washington July 10 to take charge of a De Haviland airplane which had been transferred from the War Department to the Department of Agriculture. He took off in the plane for Tallulah on July 11, arriving there the next day.

In the latter part of July Mr. Coad visited several points in Oklahoma, where experiments in control of the boll weevil are being conducted by the Bureau of Entomology in cooperation with the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and the Extension Service.

Prof. J. W. Bailey, of Mississippi A. and M. College, at Clin- ton, with his senior class in entomology, composed of 26 young men and women, visited the field laboratory at Tallulah on July 24, spending most of the day in observing the practical field and laboratory opera- tions and demonstrations in cotton dusting with ground machines and air- plane.

- 7 -

John A. Todd, of the Liverpool Cotton Service, of Liverpool, England, was a visitor at the field laboratory on July 23.

C. 0. Hopkins, Extension Entomologist, Eaton Rouge, La., visit- ed the field laboratory on July 16 for conference on boll-weevil con- ditions in the State.

The following new employes were appointed and reported for duty in July: Harry Gimora and J. M. Yeates, agents; V. C. Howell, H. R. Johnston, Andrew Spinks, and James Watkins, temporary field assistants.

FOREST INSECTS F. C. Craighead, in Charge

On July 21 Dr. Craighead left for a western trip. He visited the forest-insect field laboratory at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and plans to inspect field projects of the Division of Forest Insects in the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and California.

Contributions from the Gipsy-Moth Laboratory

C. W. Collins, in charge of the Gipsy-Moth Laboratory, has been in the hospital at Melrose, Mass., since July 16, because of a severe attack of blood poisoning. There has been a gradual improvement in his condition during the last few days, and at the end of July it appears to be quite satisfactory.

A small shipment of adults of Mesoleius tenth redinis , a para- site of the larch sawfly, arrived at the Gipsy-Moth Laboratory on July 24. These were kindly sent from Canada by A. B. Baird, in charge of the Dominion Parasite Laboratory.

Visitors at the Gipsy-Moth Laboratory during July included William H, Freeman, in charge of plant quarantine inspection. New York City, July 6; J. L. Webb and Harold S. Peters, of the Division of Insects Affecting Man and Animals, July 11; C. W. Stockwell, Plant Quarantine and Control Administration, Camden, N. J., July 12; and W. G. Bradley and C. A. Clark, of the European Corn Borer Laboratory, Arlington, Mass., July 22.

- 8 -

INSECT PEST SURVEY J. A. Hyslop, in Charge

C. R. Twinn, in charge of the Canadian Insect Pest Survey, which was organized in 1923 under the direction of the late R. C. Treherne, spent July 13 to 15 in Washington, studying the methods and equipment of the United States Insect Pest Survey. In addition to his work on the Survey, Mr. Twinn is in charge of investigations of stored-product insects and the work on mosquitoes carried on by the Dominion of Canada.

LIBRARY

Mabel Colcord, Librarian NEW BOOKS

Allman, S. L.

The codling moth (Cydia pomonella L. ) . Control experiments and life history observations at Bathurst, N. S. Wales, 1926-27. 36

p.. Ulus. (N. S. Wales Dept. Agr. Sci. Bui. 31, Mar., 1928.) Annand, P. N.

A contribution toward a monograph of the Adelginae (Phylloxeri- dae) of North America. 128 p., illus. (Stanford Univ. Pubs.

Univ. Series, Biol. Sciences, v. 6, No. 1.) (Bibliography, p. 135-146. )

Benya, K. A.

Fungous diseases of grasshoppers. Revision of literature. 49 p., illus. Leningrad, 1928. (In Russian.)

Bodenheimer, F. S.

Materialien zur Ceschichte der Entomologie bis Linne. v. 1, (498

p.), illus. Berlin, W. Junk, 1928.

Bready, M. B.

The European starling on his westward way (Sturnus vulgaris vul- garis). Concerning his economic value, his varied song, his place among birds and their characteristics, with a foreword by Marcus Benjamin. 141 p., col. pi. New York, Knickerbocker Press, 1929. Cattle tick and methods for its eradication. 23 p. Melbourne, H. J. Green, Government Printer, 1929. (Australian Council for Scien- tific and Indust. Research, Pam. 12.)

Congres International de Zoologie X tenu a Budapest du 4 au 10 Sep- tembre 1927, pubiie par E. Csiki. 2 v., illus. Budapest, Imprimerie Stephaneum, 1929. v. 1, p. 1-856; v. 2, p. 857-1620.)

Faune de France 20. Picard, F. Coleopteres, Cerambycidae, 166 p., illus. Paris, Lechevalier, 1929.

- 9 -

Frison, T. B.

Fall and winter stoneflies, or Plectoptera, of Illinois. 345- 409 p., illus., pi. (111. Dept. Regis, and Educ., Div. Nat. Hist. Survey, Bui. v. 18, Art. II, May, 1929.)

Hegner, Robert, Root, Francis M., and Augustine, Donald L.

Animal parasitology, with special reference to man and domesticated animals. 731 p., illus. New York, The Century Co., 1929. (Century Biological Series, Robert Hegner, editor.) (Bibliograhy , p. 641-697.) Herrington, Arthur.*

The chrysanthemum, its culture for professional growers and for amateurs. 158 p., illus. New York, Orange Judd Publishing Com- pany, Inc., 1929. (Insect pests and diseases, p. 134.)

Hill, Gerald.

The Tasmanian grass grub (Oncopera intricata Walker). A prelimi- nary report on its life history and methods of control. 43 p. , incl. pi. Melbourne, H. J. Green, Government Printer, 1929. (Australian Council for Scientific and Indust. Research, Pam. 11.)

Hingston, R. W. G.l

Instinct and Intelligence . . . Introduction by Bertrand Russell.

296 p., illus. New York, The Macmillan Company, 1929.

Jones, C. R.

Ants and their relation to Aphis. 96 p. Fort Collins, Colo., 1929. (Bibliography, p. 82-96.)

Jordan, E. 0. and Falk, I. S.

The newer knowledge of bacteriology and immunology. 1196 p., illus. Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1928.

Meisel, Max.

A bibliography of American natural history in the pioneer century, 1769-1865 ... v. 3 (749 p.). Brooklyn, N. Y., Premier Pub. Co., 1929.

Mellor. J. E. M.

Bee keeping in Palestine and Egypt compared. 17 p., 13 pi . Cai-

ro, Government Press, 1929. (Egypt. Min. Agr. Tech. & Sci. Ser. Bui. 82.)

Minderhoud, Anton.

Onderzoekingen over de wijze waarop de honing bij haar voedsel verzame.lt . . . 94 p. Wageningen, H. Veenman & Zonen, 1929.

Miner, T. B.

The American bee keeper's manual. . . . 349 p. New York, C. M.

Soxton & Co . , 1857.

Natvig, L. R.

Norske Insekter I, utgitt pa foranstaltning av Zoologisk Museum med bidrag av Oslo kommune. 315 p., illus. Oslo, A. W. Brug- ge rs boktrykkeri a/s, 1928. (Anvendt litteratur: p. 10-13.)

-10 -

UNIVERSITY OF

1 1! Illittl l|!l || 9 2 3 6 6128

Nevskii, V. P.

Aphis of Central Asia. 424 p.y illus. Tashkent, May, 1929. (Uzbekistanskaia Station for Plant Protection. Publication 16.)

(Text in Russian.) (Dedicated to A. K. Mordwilko. Bibliography, p. 415-417.)

Quebec. Society for the Protection of Plants. Annual Report 20, 1927- lj

28, 130 p., illus. Quebec, L'Amable Proulx, 1928. j

Robinson, D. H., and Jary, S. G.

Agricultural entomology. 314 p., illus. London, Duckworth, 1929. (Bibliography, p. 302-303.)

Rosenhauer, W. G.

Beitrage zur Insekten-fauna Europas. v. 1 (159 p.). Erlangen,

T. Biasing, 1847.

Royal Dublin Society.

Instructions for managing bees. 47 p., pi. Dublin, A. Rhames,

1733.

Schmiedeknecht, Otto.

Opuscula ichneumonologica. Supplement-Band . . . Faso. V. Ge-

nus Ichneumon L. P. 273-352. Blankenburg i Thur, 1929.

Seymour, A. B.

Host index of the fungi of North America. 732 p. Cambridge,

Mass., Harvard University Press, 1929.

Theiler, Arnold.

The transmission of tickborne diseases by intrajugular injection of the emulsified intermediary host itself. Union of South Africa.

Dept, Agr. Rept. 13 and 14. Dir. Vet. Education and Research Part I, p. 15-44, Oct., 1928.

Trahan, K. N.

Life-history, bionomics and control of Myllocerus macuiosus, Desb. (Curculionidae: Coleoptera) . . . 28 p., pi. Calcutta, Government of India, Central Publication Branch, 1929. (Agr. Research Inst.,

Pusa. Bui. 181.)

Wall, E. J.

Photographic emulsions; their preparation and coating on glass, celluloid and paper, experimentally and on the large scale. 256 p.

Boston, American Photographic Publishing Co., 1929.

Warder, Joseph. *

The true Amazons: or. The monarchy of bees. Being a new discovery p

and improvement of those wonderful creatures. 166 p. London Printed by I. Dawks, for, and sold by, J. Pemberton, 1711.

Weaver, J. E, and Clements, F. E.

Plant ecology. 520 p., illus. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co.,

Inc., 1929. (Bibliography, p. 478-501.)