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ures of tlie chestnut crop. The life cycle of the hickory-nut weevil is 

 similar to that of the larger chestnut-weevil, and that of the hazel- 

 nut weevil is like that of the lesser chestnut weevil. Both cycles are 

 represented among the acorn-infesting species. 



Any intelligent warfare against the nut weevils calls for a knowl- 

 edge of these distinctive life histories. Thus, an abundance of ma- 

 turing larvae of the larger species this autumn will insure an abund- 

 ance of beetles to deposit eggs in the nuts next autumn. With the 

 lesser weevil, however, maturing larvae tlii« autumn will not affect the 

 number of beetles on the trees the succeeding autumn but will provide 

 beetles for the crop two years hence. Targe numbers of beetles of 

 the lesser species may be destroyed by collecting them from the blos- 

 soms of chestnut, but, at that season of the year there are no beetles 

 of tlie larger species abroad. 



These weevils are to be made the subject of a bulletin by the 

 Bureau of Entomology in the near future, in which it is hoped to go 

 more fully into a discussion of control measures. 



Walnut Husk Maggot 



Although none of the weevils of the group just discussed attacks 

 walnuts, the fruit of this tree has a serious enemy in the walnut hu.sk 

 masffot. This insect is miost familiar in the form of multitudes of 

 dirtv-white maggots inhabiting the blackened, slimy husk of ripen- 

 ing walnuts. Originally, the black walnut furnished the favorite food 

 of this insect, although the husk of butternuts was sometimes attacked. 

 :\Iore recently the pest has turned its attention to the Persian wal- 

 nuts whicli are fruiting in many places in the east. The watery, 

 dark-colored pulp into which the husk of the nut is converted when 

 the maggots begin to feed penetrates the shell of the nut and injures 

 the kernel by staining it and imparting a strong flavor. The operation 

 of hulling is also made doubly disagreeable, the nut coming out of the 

 husk discolored and dirty. 



These maggots hatch from eggs inserted into the husk of nuts by 

 n li-vht-colored fly about the size of our common housefly. Although 

 easily overlooked, these flies may be seen on the nuts at almost any 

 time in August and September. They have strong ovipositors with 

 which they puncture the surface of nuts and insert into the openings 

 masses of white eggs from which the maggots hatch. 



As to the control of tliis pest, the speaker obtained very promising 

 results in spraying Persian walnut trees belonging to our friend, J. G- 



