DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGT. 197 



WORK ON INSECTS INJURIOUS TO STORED PRODUCTS. 



Insects of this class appear to be iuereasiiig their ravages. The 

 Mediterranean flour moth, wliich is in many respects the most trouble- 

 some of all insects that affect stored cereals, and is particularly harm- 

 ful in flouring mills, was repoi'ted as present and injurious in mills 

 in new localities in California, and in Michigan, Wisconsin, and 

 Minnesota. 



The Angoumois grain moth has also increased in injuriousness in 

 numbers of States, and particularly northward and in California. 



The cigarette beetle has been very injurious during the past year, 

 and was still more destructive the past season. As a result of fre- 

 quent inquiry for remedies, thorough investigations were conducted 

 by an assistant of this office with the bisulphid of carbon, and so much 

 of value was learned that the results were incorporated in an article 

 on the subject and a Farmers' Bulletin for general distribution. 



An exotic cabinet beetle {Derniestes cadaverinus Fab.) made its 

 appearance in abundance in silkworm cocoons from China, and did 

 much injury to silk in New Jersey. It also caused much damage to 

 domestic tanned leather, its presence in a warehouse in New York City 

 being traceable to the introduction of foreign hides. It seems prob- 

 able that it has obtained a foothold in this country, but it can be 

 exterminated with the cooperation of all who are troubled by its rav- 

 ages. In the treatment of all of the insects which have been men- 

 tioned, and others which affect stored produce, the bisulphid of carbon 

 remedy has been usually emploj^ed; but recently experiments have 

 been made with hydrocyanic-acid gas, and it may be that this remedy 

 will in the course of time be found to be more valuable in the treat- 

 ment of many such insects, except with seed material. 



WORK ON INSECTS AFFECTING GREENHOUSE AND OTHER ORNA- 

 MENTAL PLANTS. 



Work begun in previous years on this class of insect pests has been 

 continued. Several species affecting roses, hitherto not known as 

 noxious to this plant, have been under particular observation. Sev- 

 eral species of thrips have been unusually numerous, and some work 

 has been done on them, more especially with remedies. An insect 

 known as the bulb mite, which attacks living healthy tissue and aids 

 in the spread of diseased conditions, has caused great damage for a 

 number of jears in greenhouses to bulbs, as lily, orchid, and amaryl- 

 lis. It has lately been ascertained that this insect prevents the union 

 in grafts of pecan, hickory, and other nut trees. 



WORK ON INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CITRUS TREES AND FRUITS. 



The article on the citrus insects jjublished in the Yearbook of this 

 Department for 1900 and based in ]3art on investigations made in 

 California in the summer of that year is about to be issued as a 

 Farmers' Bulletin, to give wider currency to the information con- 

 tained and to be more available as a means of answering the constant 

 requests for information on the subject covered. In his exjjlorations 

 of Japan and China the writer gave special attention to the insect 

 enemies of the citrus fruits grown throughout central aiid southern 

 Japan and southern China, the British Straits Settlements, and Java, 

 collecting and determining the common scale pests and other insect 



