156 THE EEPOET OF THE Xo. 36 



LOCUST CONTROL WOEK WITH POISONED BAITS IN EASTEEN 



CANADA IN 1915. 



Arthur Gibson^ Chief Assistant Entomologist, In Charge of Field 

 Crop Insect Investigations, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. 



At the meeting of the Society held in Toronto in November, 1914, I gave an 

 account of our experiments at Bowesville, Ont., witli poisoned bran baits to control 

 locusts.* Such work we considered very ^encouraging. During the present year, 

 1915, the Lesser Migratory Locust, Meianoplus atlanis Eiley, was again enormously 

 abundant in Ontario and Quebec Provinces and to a lesser extent the Pellucid 

 Locust, Camnula pellucida Scudd. We were, therefore, able to conduct further 

 experiments and to demonstrate the value of new poisoned baits which had not 

 pre\'iously, under field conditions, been used in Canada. 



Poisoned Baits Used in 1915. 



In June last (1915) arrangements were made to conduct twenty-three experi- 

 ments with various poisoned baits near Bowesville:, Ont. Each experiment was on 

 five acres and the land chosen was from adjacent farms vipon which the Lesser 

 Migratory Locust was exceedingly numerous. No poisoned bait had previously 

 been used on any of this land. In addition to bran, shorts and sawdust were also 

 used as carriers for the poison. Formulae containing bran were easily mixed ; 

 shorts did not mix satisfactorily owing to the fact that it becomes sticky and lumpy 

 which, of course, makes it more difficult to spread properly. Sawdust, if fairly 

 well free of small pieces of wood, spreads easily, but in mixing the formula? con- 

 taining it care had to be taken to add the water slowly, as the sawdust does not 

 absorb liquid as quickly as bran, otherwise the Paris green is liable to be washed off. 

 In many districts where it is difficult to obtain bran sawdust may often be had for 

 practically nothing. 



The following table gives concisely the results of some of our experiments con- 

 ducted at Bowesville : 



*See Rep. Ent. Soc. Ont., 1914 (1915), pp. 97-100. ' 



