THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST lOS 



to cultivated crops. It may be rightly assumed that such insects 

 are worstf)ests to the agriculturist in the years immediately following 

 the destruction of their native host plants. Eventually, it is hoped, 

 their attacks will decrease for the reason that the food plant may 

 not be entirely suitable. We may place the following insects in 

 this category. 



The Fruit Tree Leaf Syneta {Syneta albida Lee), which is 

 believed to to have fed originally on the wild species of willow, 

 now freely attacks blossoms and leaves of fruit trees and is re- 

 ported as doing damage to strawberries and clover. The Bronze 

 Apple Tree Weevil {Magdalis cenescens) formerly no doubt, in- 

 fested dying twigs of forest trees, but now is recognized as an 

 apple-infesting insect frequently met with in neglected orchards. 

 It causes a series of niinute punctures closely congregated on in- 

 jured twigs and branches. Several species of Eleodes are recorded, 

 notably pimelioides, ohscura, hiimeralis, hispilabris, and some have 

 been observed infesting potatoes. The genus Otiorhynchiis 

 represented by the species siilcatus, ovatus, and probably rugifrons, 

 are in all probability primarily grass-infesting insects, but, in this 

 latitude, are among the most important of the insect pests injurious 

 to gardens, greenhouses and small fruit plantations. There are, 

 again, at least twenty species of Click-beetles {Elaterida;) recorded 

 at present for the Province, and while the larval (wireworm) stage 

 is universally recognized as a serious nuisance to pasture land, 

 the adults have shown themselves to be of economic importance to 

 fruit growers by their attacks on blossoms and buds of fruit trees 

 in the spring. Seven and eight-year old apple trees have been 

 observed to be entirely denuded of bloom by the adults clustering 

 on the flowers and devouring the pistils, stamens and calyces. 

 Fruit on the tree will also be attacked in midsummer as wiU the 

 leaves. 



Ants are also shown to be enemies to the fruit grower. To 

 Mr. W. H. Brittain (at present Provincial Entomologist for Nova 

 Scotia, formerly of British Columbia) belongs the credit for first 

 drawing attention to the injuries of blossoms by ants. Further 

 observations which have been made lately have shown the correct- 

 ness of Mr. B'rittain's findings. The species Formica riifa subsp. 

 obscuripes is alone, as yet, recorded in this form of injury. The 



