108 State Horticultural Society. 



MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 

 (From J. 'M. Stedman, Entomologist, Columbia, Mo.) 



I give facts as derived purely from scientifically conducted experi- 

 ments and accurate determinations of the captured insects, and I now 

 feel that I have done my duty in the matter. I pronounce, as all other 

 competent entomologists do, that all and any trap lanterns of whatever 

 pattern using lights as the attractive agent are "humbugs" when used 

 in orchards and do more harm there than good, on account of the Ich- 

 nuemon flies ("stinging fly or wasp-like insect") which they kill. I had 

 five trap lanterns (one of them being Haseltine's Moth Catcher) in an 

 orchard that was badly infested with codling moths, and kept them going 

 for one hundred (lOo) consecutive nights, beginning when the trees 

 bloomed out, and as a result of all this, I caught only two codling moths. 

 Is not this a low number of accidents, even ? Would not one hundred 

 have been low? 



* To those trap-lantern agitators and' a few orchardists, who claim 

 codling moths are attracted to light and caught in trap lanterns, I would 

 ask : Is it not a little strange that they who are not entomologists catch 

 these codling moths, while entomologists all fail? It seems to me the 

 secret of the whole trouble lies in the mistaken identity of the codling- 

 moth, since there are a great number of similar looking but harmless 

 moths that are caught b}^ these traps. 



Our experiments prove that for the bulk of the injurious insects, 

 especially in orchards, the traps are not only of no use, but are an actual 

 detriment. We emphatically advise the public not to reh^ upon moth 

 catchers to take the place of spraying. 



We wish now to impress upon the people the fact that these moth 

 catchers absolutely will not catch — except now and then one by mere 

 accident — the following common injurious insects, which the advocates 

 of the moth catchers claim are caught : The Codling ]\Ioth ; Colorado 

 potato beetle ; Plum Curculio ; Gougers ; Flat and Round-headed apple- 

 tree borers ; Peach-tree borers ; Tomato-worm moth ; Squash Bugs ; 

 Canker Worm moth ; Cabbage butterfly, adult of the common cabbage 

 worm; Bud-worm moth; "Grape vine moth;" "Current moth;" "Slug 

 moth;" Strawberry root-borer. 



In using the traps for the insects just named, and for thousands 

 of other injurious insects that we have not named, one not only does 

 no good, but actually does a great amount of harm ; in the first place 



