10171 ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGT. 161 



that their yields in winter wheat were cut down at least 25 per cent in the 

 season of 1915, while in 191G a field of spring wheat was visited which by actual 

 count showed 95 per cent of the plants to have been injured by this insect. 

 Some of the plants had only one culm injured while others had lost two or 

 three. An adjoining field of oats is said to have had 12 per cent of its plants 

 infested. 



There is also said to be a slight amount of injury done to the plants, just 

 before blossoming, by the second brood of larvae. This injury is only to the 

 leaves and probably has little or no effect on the yield as the central stalk does 

 not appear to be injured. 



In observations made at Bozeraan the incubation period of the egg was found 

 to be about six days under insectary conditions. Upon hatching out, the larva 

 immediately starts mining down the leaf toward the stalk, eventually ending in 

 the leaf sheath at the crown of the plant or at the first node. On reaching the 

 base of the leaf sheath it feeds up and down the sheath and sometimes around 

 the stalk. The length of the larval period is said to vary with climatic condi- 

 tions, some of the larvae pupating at the end of 10 days while others take as 

 long as 20 days. The pupal period lasted about 25 days under insectary condi- 

 tions. The adult tlies appear about May 20 and lay eggs in wheat seedlings 

 until about June 10. The flies of the second brood emerged in the insectary 

 about July 16 and lived until August 5. The third generation of flies began to 

 emerge September 7. The next generation is believed to hibernate as pupae 

 and produce the first brood of flies the following spring. 



Two hymenopterous parasites were reared from puparia of C. femoraUs, 

 namely, a new braconid of the genus Dacnusa and the chalcidid Cyrtogaster 

 occidentalis, but these do not occur in sufficient numbers to be effective agents 

 in control. While control measures have not been tested, it is thought that a 

 large percentage of the pests can be destroyed by scattering the straw over the 

 field and burning the stubble as well as the grass borders surrounding the field. 

 Where this is not practicable, the stubble can be plowed under about 6 in. and 

 harrowed just after removing the crop or before planting the spring crop. It is 

 also thought that the late seeding of winter wheat, after a thorough destruction 

 of volunteer wheat and grass, will help much in control. 



The control of the round-headed apple tree borer, G. G. Becker (Jour. 

 Econ. Ent., 10 {1911), No. 1, pp. 66-7i).— The author's investigations in Ar- 

 kansas have led to the conclusion that the protection afforded by white lead 

 is not commensurate with the returns. Pruning compound is worthless as a 

 borer protector, paper wrappers and wooden veneers, from first observations, 

 appear to be impracticable, the cost of screening is too great, and the efficiency 

 of asphaltum against the borer is not worth the risk of injury to the trees. 

 Worming the trees during the months of August and in early September is 

 deemed the most practical as well as the cheapest method for controlling the 

 borer. 



[Banana weevil borer in Jamaica] {Jour. Jamaica Agr. Soc, 20 {1916), 

 ^'os. I pp. 129-1S2, 1J,5, U6; 5, pp. 168, 169; 12, pp. 478-481).— These papers 

 relate to the banana weevil {Cosmopolites sordida) in Jamaica, an account of 

 which by Ballou has been previously noted (E. S. R., 36, p. 15S). 



A new weevil attacking pineapples in Jamaica, G. A. K. Marshall {Bui. 

 Ent. Research, 7 {1916), No. 2, pp. 197, 198, fig. i).— Under the name Meta- 

 7nasius ritchiei the author describes a large black weevil which was found 

 doing serious damage to pineapples in Jamaica. It is stated that this weevil 

 made its appearance in the Above Rocks District, Jamaica, about four years ago 

 and grew steadily worse until 1916, when it is estimated 75 per cent of the 

 pines were lost. 



