CONTROL, OF INSECT PESTS McATEE 423 



A prominent grower of pears iu New York reported to us that he had lost many 

 of his pear crops, amounting to thousands of bushels, by this pest, and in the 

 fall, as it was present in great numbers on the trunks of the trees, it appeared 

 that it would pass the winter there and destroy his crops again next year. 

 However, the white-breasted nuthatches came to the orchard in numbers, and 

 he encouraged them to remain by fastening pieces of fat meat iu his trees and 

 protected them from molestation. The nutliatches remained and fed on the 

 pest all winter and cleaned up the trees so effectively that he could scarcely 

 find any of the insects in the spring." 



In the case of jjlant lice we have one record by Mr. H. A. Surface, 

 of control of the apple aphis, in Pennsylvania, and the following 5 

 cases of suppression : Pea louse, one in Massachusetts, by Mr. E. H. 

 Forbush, and one in New Jersey, Dr. John B. Smith; rose aphis, 

 one in California, Mr. H. M. Kussell; and unidentified aphids, one 

 in Washington State and one in IMassachusetts. 



The writer has made one investigation of the bird enemies of 

 jjlant lice, the insect being the green bug or wheat aphis. On a 200- 

 acre farm in North Carolina, where wheat, rye, and oats were 

 severely attacked by green bugs, it was found that birds were very 

 effective in destroying the pests. The outbreak was at its height 

 during the migration season of such birds as the goldfinch and the 

 vesper and chipping sparrows, which with other species on the 

 farm numbered more than 3,000 individuals. It was found that 

 these birds were destroying green bugs at the rate of nearly a million 

 a day, and on days when additional flocks of migrants were present 

 this destruction was doubled. During the season such numbers of 

 birds flocked to the grain fields that the aphis infestation was re- 

 duced by an incalculable number. Destruction of the aphids was at 

 its height during that stage of cool spring weather that permits the 

 green bug to breed freely yet holds in check its parasites. It will 

 readily be agreed that under such circumstances every economic ento- 

 mologist would welcome the assistance of any agency that would 

 account for one or two million green bugs daily on a single farm. 



In two further items relating to Homoptera, birds are credited 

 with being the most important enemies of the clover leaf hopper 

 {Agallia sanguinolenta) , and in one instance with locally extirpat- 

 ing black olive scales. These complete the instances on hand for the 

 order, 3 being of control, and 14 of suppression. 



TRUE BUGS (HETEROPTERA) 



Contrary to the impression prevailing among many naturalists, 

 birds feed rather freely on Ileteroptera. Nevertheless, there are few 

 instances of great activity in this direction by field observers. Prof. 



•Zool. Bull. rcnn. Dcpt. Agr.. Vol. V, No. :!, p. 79, July, 1907. 



