THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 269 



The alfalfa weevil. — This insect which has done such frightful dam- 

 age in neighlioritig states and which will probably always menace Cali- 

 fornia, is now in three states of tlie country- and is spreading. We are 

 making every effort to keep it from the alfalfa fields of our State. So 

 far we believe we have succeeded. Aside from placing a quarantine 

 against the infested districts, we have made annually a thorough inspec- 

 tion along the Salt Lake route leading from the areas infested. The 

 inspection for 1915 has .just been completed, and we rejoice to state that 

 no trace of the work of this weevil was discovered. Of course this 

 annual search will continue, and should the pest be discovered at any 

 time in the alfalfa fields we shall at once adopt very drastic measures to 

 eradicate it before it is dispersed, after which it would be well nigh 

 impossible to cope with it. — A. J. C. 



Some misconceptions. — The activities of insect parasites and preda- 

 tors and fungous and bacterial diseases, are governed by natural laws. 

 There is nothing of the "hocus pocus" nature about the use of these 

 enemies of insect pests excepting in the minds of the luiinformed. The 

 practical use of these beneficial forms of life with which nature has 

 supi>lied us is limited by nature's laws. One ladvbird can lay only a 

 limited inunlxM' of eggs. It takes a certain ]M'riod of time for these 

 eggs to hatch and for the larvje to develop into adnlls. With a knowl- 

 edge of these facts, in reference to any particular kind of insect, we 

 are able to designate a point in numlicrs beyond which even under 

 ideal conditions it is_impossible foi- the insect to attain. 



Most misconceptions in the minds of the laity regarding parasites 

 are due to unfamiliarity with insect life histories. They have read 

 of the marvelous reproductive capacity of the bacteria and imagine 

 that reproduction in insects is e(|ually rapid. While the potential 

 power of reproduction among the insects is very great, in actual prac- 

 tice they are subject to so many dangers that the great majority never 

 reach maturity. Knowing that their ability to multiply is decidedly 

 limited, we do not place a colony of parasitic or predaceous insects in 

 the field and expect them to control their host the first year. It takes 

 time for them to become sufficiently abundant to have an influence 

 upon the pest against which they are liberated, and many of them never 

 reach that point. 



It is a popular misconception that the Insectary Mill furnish colonies 

 of newly imported parasites and predators to those wiio a[)ply for them. 

 This can not be done, as they are always received in very limited 

 numl)ers and it is necessary to colonize them in large numbers in only 

 two or three localities which are considered most suitable, in order to 

 get them well established. After they have become abundant in these 

 colonies, it then becomes desirable to disseminate them as much as 

 possible. 



Another popular misconception is connected with the common para- 

 site of the Brown Apricot scale, Comys fusca. This insect is supposed 

 to be a native of this country. At any rate, if it is not. it has been here 

 so long that its status is the same as that of a native parasite. I have 

 never yet found an orchard where the Brown Apricot scale was 

 abundant that this parasite was not also abundant. I do not mean 

 a heavy percentage of parasitism, but rather a large number of Comijs 



