DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY 513 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



the experiments, which I began originally in 1906, were resumed. Not only was the 

 life history studied, but special attention was paid to the feeding habits of the adult, 

 several flies being fed entirely on human blood. 



WARBLE AND BOT FLIES. 



During the summer of 1912, Dr. S. Hadwen, of the Health of Animals Branch 

 of this department, carried out a valuable series of experiments on the Warble fly 

 llypoderma bovis de Geer, the account of which has been published in Bulletin No. 

 16 of that branch. The chief interest in Dr. Hadwen's study lies in the fact that 

 previously it had generally been supposed that this European species was not posi- 

 tively known to occur in North America, but that our only species of Ox Warble fly, 

 or Bot fly, was llypoderma lineata de Villiers. At Agassiz, in British Columbia, Dr. 

 Hadwen found II. bovis was the common species. In going over the collections in the 

 Division, I find that we received this species in July, 1911, from St. Henri de Levis, 

 Que., an adult specimen having been taken from the hoof of an ox. We have also 

 received the larva? of H. bovis from Saskatchewan. These facts would indicate that 

 H. bovis is generally distributed through Canada. 



The Sheep Nasal Fly (Oestrus or in) was reported as becoming a pest on Salt 

 Spring Island, B.C. Specimens of the larvae of 0. ovis were also received from the 

 biological laboratory of the Health of Animals Branch; they had been taken from 

 the head of a sheep received from Quebec in April, 1912. 



VI.— INSECTS AFFECTING GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE. 



Mr. W. A. Ross is carrying on at the present time at London, Ont., a series 

 of experiments on the control of Sow bugs (Oniscws sp.) which are particularly 

 injurious to florists' stock in greenhouses. Various kinds of repellents and poisoned 

 baits are being tried, and the effect of soil fumigation and sterilization of the soil 

 is being studied. One of the most important factors in the control, and one which 

 is apparently least observed, is cleanliness and tidiness in and around the greenhouse 

 and the benches. 



A series of experiments on the fumigation of greenhouses for the control of 

 White fly (Aleyrodes) is also being carried out. 



VII.— APICULTURE. 



Until the end of September, 1912, the apiary was under the care of Mr. J. I. 

 Beaulne, who had managed the practical apiculture in a satisfactory and successful 

 manner since the summer of 1910. The necessity of extending the apiculture work, 

 and the great need for experimental work on the breeding and nesting of varieties 

 and strains of bees suited to our varied conditions and resistant to disease, resulted 

 in the appointment of Mr. F. W. L. Sladen, as Assistant Entomologist for Apicul- 

 ture, who arrived in Canada from England in September. 



The bees in our apiary were brought out of the cellar on March 27th to 29th. 

 Thirty colonies were put into winter quarters and twenty-seven were taken out, 

 three having been lost, owing to rats, exhaustion of stores and queenlessness, respec- 

 tively. The average weight of the colonies on being brought out was 33 pounds, and 

 the average loss in weight during the winter was 14 pounds. The summer was 

 unusually wet and cold; nevertheless, the number of colonies was increased to forty- 

 seven bv swarming and dividing, and 882 pounds of honey were taken, an average of 



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