1919] ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGY. 257 



i lie first two of which has been reported In a paper previously noted (E. S. R., 

 37, p. 58). 



I. The grape curculio, F. E. Brooks (pp. 1-19). — This paper reports upon 

 Investigations <>r the grape curculio carried out principally in a badly infested 

 locality in central West Virginia during (he years 1916 and 1917. 



The grape appears to be the only host plant of this weevil. The adnlts may 

 be found upon the foilage and the larva? within the fruit of probably all kinds 

 of wild and cultivated grapes that grow in the localities where the Insect is 

 found, although the "frost" grape (\'itis cordifolia) is very rarely attacked. 



In order to determine the extent of injury caused counts were made in 

 August, 1917, of about 50 grapevines of different varieties. The results showed 

 that from 40 to 95 per cent of all unprotected fruit had been ruined by the 

 curculio, the average loss being about 70 per cent. 



On emerging from hibernation, the beetles appear upon the grape canes 

 about the time the Concord grape is in bloom and feed for ten days or two 

 weeks on the upper epidermis and parenchyma of the leaf before beginning to 

 deposit eggs within the young fruit. Oviposition records kept of 24 females 

 showed a maximum of 386 and a minimum of 141, with an average of 261. 6.6. 

 Six days were required for incubation of the egg in July, from 7 to 19 days 

 for the development of the larva, and 18 or 19 days for the pupa. 



Several insects are mentioned as being predacious upon the larvae. Parasites 

 mentioned include Anaphoidea conotracheli, which was quite abundant, as high 

 as 39.5 per cent of the eggs having been parasitized by it; Microbracon mel- 

 litor, which attacks the larva ; Stiboscopus brooksi, which attacks the pupa 

 while within the cocoon ; and Triaspis curculionis, a single specimen of which 

 was reared. 



As regards control measures, it is pointed out that the long period during 

 which the curculio beetles feed freely on the upper surface of the grape leaves 

 renders them peculiarly susceptible to arsenical sprays. In several cases prac- 

 tically complete freedom from attack was obtained by applying two sprays of 

 lead arsenate, 3 lbs. of paste to 50 gal. of water, the first just after the blos- 

 soms had dropped, and the second three or four weeks later. Bagging the 

 clusters of fruit affords complete protection. Cultivation of the soil under 

 infested grapevines destroys the curculios to some extent by breaking up the 

 cocoons and exposing the pupa 1 , or by burying the cocoons deeply in the soil. 



A bibliography of 34 titles is included. 



II. The grape root-borer, F. E. Brooks (pp. 21-28). — This is a report of 

 studies carried on at French Creek, W. Va., during the summers of 1916 and 

 1917. 



This root-borer is frequently a source of serious injury to the grape in a few 

 sections of West Virginia; vines of the fox grape (V. labrusca) growing in a 

 vineyard and of cultivated varieties suffer abqpt equally. 



The eggs are deposited on the canes or loaves of grapevines or, more fre- 

 quently, on grass, weeds, or straws under or near the vines, sometimes as 

 many as 4 or 5 eggs being placed together. A single female has been recorded 

 as depositing as many as 555 eggs. Oviposition is usually completed within 

 a period of one week. The larva?, which hatch out in from 18 to 23 days, at 

 once burrow into the soil and attack the larger grape roots wherever found. 

 A period of nearly two years is passed in the larval stage and about 4 weeks 

 are passed in the cocoon. 



No parasites of this species have been discovered. As regards control it is 

 stated that this species does not lend itself readily to any of the common 

 insecticidal methods and neither is the worming process of practical applica- 

 tion against it. Thorough cultivation of the soil around the vines during June 



