EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 143 



IS. THE STRAWBERRY SAW-FLY. 



{llari>iiiliufus niariihU us Xort.) 



An old ofTender is tlie strawbcii y saw-lly. As early at least as 18GS this insect 

 was reported in ^licliigan. Illinois and Iowa. This year they Avere reported from 

 Bridgman, Stevensville and many places near. Specimens were obtained for us from 

 Stevensville by Mr. David W. Trine, "State Inspector of Orchards and Nurseries." 



The "worm" or false-caterpillar that does the damage is a dirty yellow or greenish 

 naked caterpillar, not quite three-fourths of an inch long. Its yellow head bears 

 three or more brown spots, one above and usually one on each side of the head, these 

 spots being often more or less blended. There are twenty-two legs : six true legs, four- 

 teen abdominal and two caudal pro-legs, making twenty-two in all. This will dis- 

 tinguish it from anj^ lepidopterous or moth larva, for none of them living on straw- 

 berry has so many legs. 



Early in May the eggs are said to be laid in slits cut in the stipule or leaf-stem 

 of the strawberry leaf. The eggs hatch and the young false-caterpillars attack the 

 leaves. They become full grown and descend into the ground, making a frail cocoon 

 and there changing to the pupal form, ready to come out by the last of July or first 

 of August, as adult saw-flies. These soon mate and lay the eggs for the second brood, 

 which matures and goes into the groiuid during August or September. The specimens 

 sent us were about ready to go into the ground on September 22, and the larvae dis- 

 appeared from the fields very soon a'tter that date, going into the groimd to spin 

 cocoons and remain until next year. 



There is another species of saw-fly. Moiiosfcf/ia if/iiota. that closely resembles the 

 species in question, but the heads of the larvae lack the brown spots already described. 

 The two species, however, are so alike in habits that the same treatment will aiu)h- to 

 both. 



REMEDIES. 



As in the case of the strawberry leaf-roller, it is impossible to use any true poisons 

 on the plants after the fr«it is set and before it is gathered, but if the worms appear 

 before the plants bloom, a spray of Paris green and lime will quickly destroy them. 

 After the plants have bloomed and before the fruits begin to ripen, they may be killed 

 with kerosene emulsion applied very thoroughly so as to strike each worm. It would 

 seem very probable that fine air-slaked lime and sulphur sifted freely over the plants 

 would kill many of the worms, but this remains to be tried. The skins of saw-flies 

 are more or less sticky and tender, and the powdered lime acts as a caustic on them, 

 lame and sulphur or lime alone is a very convenient remedy to use, because of its 

 cheapness, ease of application (it should be dusted on the plants through coarse bag- 

 ging), and ease of preparation, the fresh quick liine requiring only an occasional 

 sprinkling sufficient to shike it, but not to moisten it enough to interfere with its slak- 

 ing dry. 



111. THE CRIMSON CLOVER-SEED CHALCID. 



( Bruchophagus funebris. ) * 



When crimson clover was brought to America, it was hoped that a substitute had 

 at last been procured for red clover, a substitute that produced a luxuriant growth 

 und which was free from the many insect ills attendant upon the red clover. There is. 

 nevertheless, a formidable insect foe that has appeared very recently, and which works 

 in the seed. It Iwlongs to the family of hymenopterous parasites known as Clnih-ididae, 

 almost all of which are our friends. With a few exceptions, all the members of this 

 family feed on other insects, acting as true internal parasites, and help in this way 

 very materially to keep in check noxious species. They are all very small, wasp-like 

 insects, smaller than mosquitoes and not conspicuous. The species in question lives in 



•Determined by Mr. Win. .\9hmea1l of Dept. of .\gr., W'ashinpton, I). C. through kindness of l»r. L. 

 O. Howard. 



