338 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



INSECT NOTES. 



The minute false chinch bug, Ni/sins uncjustatus minutus has been sent to this 

 office recently for identification, from Placer. Shasta and Santa Barbara counties. In 

 the latter county they were found by County Horticultural Commissioner Beers, at- 

 tacking the foliage of young peach and apricot trees. This insect quite frequently 

 becomes troublesome at this season of the year, feeding on potatoes, tomatoes and 

 other garden vegetables. — Geo. P. Weldon. 



The pear leaf russet m\\.&,Epitrhnerus pyri, has been taken quite commonly on pear 

 trees this summer. The first report of this pest in California was made in The 

 Monthly Bulletin, Vol. II, No. 9. At that time it was known only in San Diego 

 County. Since then it has been found in Contra Costa, Sonoma, Modoc. Yolo, San 

 Joaquin and Fresno counties, so its range of distribution is apparently quite genei-al. 

 In Fresno County Mr. Fred Roullard, the recently appointed horticultural commis- 

 sioner, showed the writer some mounts of this mite that he had taken on peach leaves. 

 On July 16th a few mites were collected on peach by the writer, in the vicinity of 

 Fresno. — Geo. P. Weldon. 



Tetranyclms simplex (Banks). This species of red spider has been Identified for 

 us by Mr. Banks, from material sent to him from Sacramento, where it is damaging 

 cypress, maple and other shade trees. — Geo. P. Weldon. 



Tetranychus himaculatus, the common red spider of the orchard, has been in.iurious 

 to prune and almond trees since about July 1st. Previous to this time the almond 

 mite, Bryobia pratensis, was the most common species in the orchards. 



The woolly aphis, ScMzoneura lani(jeru. This pest is of very common occurrence 

 on the roots of Bartlett pear trees. A recent infestation was found in Sutter County. 

 ■ — -Geo. p. Weldon. 



The black scale, has recently been reported by County Horticultural Commissioner 

 C. W. Beers, of Santa Barbara County, as occurring in exceptional numbers on 

 walnut trees in the Goleta district. He states that the infestation is the heaviest ever 

 observed and that it is confined principally to the small limbs, none having been found 

 on either the nuts or foliage. In many counts in hundreds he found that over 90 per 

 cent are parasitized with Scutellista cyanea iMotsch.) both larvse and pupse occurring 

 July 14th, when the observations were made. — E. O. EssiG. 



The alfalfa \ooper, Antographa yautma californica (Speyer), has been very abundant 

 this year in the central part of the State. — B. O. EssiG. 



The Eastern peach tree borer, Sanninoidea exitiosa Say, has been taken in a peach 

 orchard near Escondido, San Diego County, California, by Mr. H. A. Weinland, county 

 horticultural commissioner. The infestation is small and appears to be the first report 

 of an orchard infestation of this pest in California. ^E. O. EssiG. 



The California peach tree borer, Sanninoidea opalescens Edw., has been discovered 

 in the Upper Ojai Valley, Ventura County, California, by R. S. Vaile, county horti- 

 cultural commissioner, and at Banning, Riverside County, California, by D. D. Sharp, 

 county horticultural commissioner. Both infestations are limited to small areas. 



The pubescent hoplia, Hoplia puhescens Lee. was recently taken (July) in large 

 numbers in the Yosemite Valley, feeding upon the blossoms of the azalea {Rhododen- 

 dron occidentale) and the yarrow {Achillea millefoUwn) . — E. O. Essig. 



