^fje ^aiiatltcui ^utomalu^bt. 



Vol. XLVII. LONDON. APRIL, 1915 No. 4 



POPULAR AND ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



Notes of Economic Interest from British Columbia.* 

 by r. c. treherne, agassiz, b. c. 



The Province of British Cohimbia, from the standpoint of 

 insects of economic interest, occupies an extremely interesting 

 position, both in regard to those insects indigenous to and acclima- 

 tised within its boundaries and because the location makes the 

 Province liable to insect migrations from points in the Pacific. 



It has been said that the British Columbia field of economic 

 entomological investigation is the most interesting of any in the 

 Dominion of Canada. This, of course, is not strictly true, but 

 the great interest of the western field lies in the fact that one is 

 able to cover the essential history of agriculture, which has occurred 

 for the most part within the past half century, and note the appear- 

 ance and progress of related insect pests. 



For instance, the Imported Cabbage worm {Pontia rapa Sch.) 



was observed in the eastern section of the Province in 1898 and 



1899. It had spread west to the Pacific Ocean in 1901, while in 



1902 it had crossed the narrow strip of water and was taken on 



X'ancouver Island. The Colorado Potato Beetle {Leptinotarsa 



decemlineata Say) became established at Nez Perce in Idaho State 



some 12 years ago. It now apparently infests southeastern 



Washington seriously and its mo\ement is undoubtedly towards 



the southeastern boundary of British Columbia. As yet, we have 



no record of its presence in the Province. The San Jose Scale, 



however, was found at one known point in the Province some 



years ago,t and that in a small isolated orchard area. Through 



radical control measures the outbreak was_ checked and is now 



believed to be entirely eradicated, but the northern trend of this 



scale is being Avatched from the lower valley of the Okanagan River 



in Wa shington State. Two years ago it had reached a point at 



*Contribution.s from the Entomological Branch, Department of Agriculture, 

 Ottawa. 

 11894. 



