ENTOMOLOGY. 771 



starters in a single hive. They should then be allowed to build combs 

 for 4 days. At the end of this time in the evening the comb may be 

 replaced by foundation and the bees given ;i queen cell ready to hatch. 



The honey in the diseased combs may be extracted, but all uncapped 

 cells should first be cut out and heated to the boiling point, after which 

 it may be fed back to the bees. All of the foul combs and those built 

 in the 4 days should be buried or placed beyond the possibility of access 

 to the bees. 



At the close of the honey season the queens in all the weakest colo- 

 nies should be caged for about 10 days, so no brood can be started. 

 The brood from strong colonies is then removed and tiered up on the 

 weak ones with the caged queens. The process of giving starters and 

 foundation to the strong colonies is then gone through with and the 

 bees fed sugar sirup in the evening during the first 4 days. 



At the end of 10 days the combs from the weak colonies may be 

 removed and the bees shaken into a single hive and given foundation. 

 The queens may now be released and the bees fed sugar sirup for 4 

 days. The combs at the end of this time are to be removed and replaced 

 by foundation. 



Report of the State Board of Agriculture on the extermination 

 of the gypsy moth (Massachusetts Slate lid. Agr. Ept. 1896, pp. 349- 

 396, pis. ■/). — It is reported that the moth has been exterminated from 

 most of the outlying towns and its spread prevented, but 2 new colo 

 nies of long standing having been found in Brookline. According to 

 the opinion of the entomologist, it will take 15 years to exterminate 

 the pest and will require an annual appropriation of $200,000 for 5 

 years, of $100,000 for the succeeding 5 years, and of $15,000 for the 

 balance of the time. 



The field director reports that a line can now be drawn excluding 

 two-thirds of the area formerly infested. This outer area is nearly or 

 not entirely free from the moth. 



During the year 10,718,836 fruit, shade, and forest trees were inspected, 

 57,723 of which were found infested, 507,025 of which were burlapped, 

 4,327 sprayed, 90,820 trimmed, and 029 scraped. A large number of 

 buildings and fences were also inspected and found infested to a greater 

 or less degree. In all, there were destroyed 1,808,105 caterpillars, 

 441,899 pupae, 41,291 moths, and 884,928 unhatched egg clusters. 

 There were found, besides these, 31,501 hatched clusters. 



As a forest pest the insect substantiates its former reputation for 

 destructiveness. Oak trees stripped for 2 seasons in succession are 

 now found dead or dying. In a few instances death seems to follow a 

 total defoliation in one year and only a partial one the next. Death 

 seems to begin at the top, the limbs presenting a sunburned appearance. 

 The attacks of bark borers finally hastens the work of destruction. 



The methods employed in combating the pest are much the same as 

 in former years. To the list of bird enemies reported in 1895 there are 

 added the red winged blackbird (Agelceus plmniceus) and several 



