THE EXPERIMENT STATION. 149 



In the new atmosphere of America it feeds and thrives upon carpets, shawls 

 and other woolen goods. The apple maggot, Trypeta pomonella Walsh, 

 feeds upon our wild haw and other wild fruits. Civilization exterminates 

 its old-time aliment and it betakes itself to our autumn apples, and this 

 year I have found it on both cherries and plums. The curculio, apple-tree 

 borers, bark lice, etc., are other illustrations of the same truth. 



I have discovered the past season another illustration in the Lasioderma 

 serricorne Fab. This insect belongs to the family Ptinidae, a small family 

 of very small insects. Very few of the insects of this family are noxious; the 

 two best known of which are the apple-twig borer, Amphicerug bicaudatus 

 Say, which in the mature state bores in the twigs of the apple tree, and 

 Sinoxylon basilare Say, which attacks the hickory and grape. The insect in 

 question, Losioderma serricorne Fab., has been found to attack plush furni- 

 ture. The larvae in this case do the mischief; they perforate the plush, 

 making it like a sieve. Several pieces of valuable furniture were ruined by 

 these minute larvae. 



The beetle (Fig. 1) is light brown in color. The color of 

 the entire beetle is uniform, except that the eyes and tips of 

 the elytra are black. The wing covers appear a little lighter 

 in color, because of a covering of light hairs, which are more 

 „ dense on the elytra than on the thorax and head. The thorax 

 abends down so as we look from above we cannot see the head. 

 'Fig. 1. Beetle. The serrate antennae, which give name to the beetle, are also 

 bent under the head so that they likewise rarely show. The beetles are very 

 small, hardly more than two mm. long. The elytra are non-striated. The 

 first two joints of the antennae are small. The following joints increase to 

 the sixth, and then decrease to the end. The tenth or last joint is rounded. 

 The grubs (Fig. 2) are short, curled and hairy. They are two mm. 

 long and one thick. The color is white, as is also the hairs, though 

 the latter have a slightly yellowish tinge. The six thoracic legs 

 are tipped with black. The upper part of the head is marked with 

 four yellowish-brown lines ; the upper ones are narrow, while the 

 latter ones are abbreviated behind. The front of the head is 

 brown; the jaws and other mouth-parts nearly black. Larva. 



As these beetles are cosmopolites, and feed on various articles of com- 

 merce, even tobacco and cigars, we may well hope that this new habit 

 will ever remain exceptional. 



Like all insects, these beetles, both as grubs and mature beetles, are very 

 susceptible to both gasoline and bisulphide of carbon. Either of these used, 

 freely were quickly fatal to the insects. Of course whenever either of these 

 substances are used great care must be exercised that no fire be brought 

 near till these inflammable liquids are evaporated, which, however, soon 

 takes place. Like the carpet beetle, Anthrenus scrophulariae Linn., so these 

 insects infest upholstered furniture between the folds, especially where the 

 back joins the seat. It is easy to drench such parts of a chair or sofa with 

 gasoline and destroy the larvae of moth or beetle. 



Nearly every year brings examples of such change of habits as described 

 above. Such incursions, present and prospective, emphasize the impor- 

 tance of a thoroughly trained entomologist in every State of our country. 



