114 KANSAS Academy of Science. 



lowish-red, the knees, tip of tibiae and tip of tarsi more or less blackish. Spines of 

 the front tibiae very unequal in size, those of the hind tibiae small. Wings dilutely 

 subfuscous, lighter posteriorly, the costal margin narrowly brownish, the anterior 

 Teins brown. Stigma brown. 



Male. — Pile longer. Legs deep red, in large part blackish. 



Kansas. The species is nearest allied to B. obscurus Loew and B. xanthopus 

 Wied., but may be at once distinguished by the black pile. 



The larvae of the Bibionidce differ from the most of dipterous larva; in having 

 well-developed mandibles and palpi, in place of the more common simple hooks. 

 The larva of this species is about three-fourths of an inch long; general color dirty- 

 whitish; surface of body finely punctuate; head dark brown; each segment with a 

 single transverse line of six pointed projections on dorsum, and two transverse rows 

 of six projections, beginning on pleura near the spiracle and extending across the 

 venter. These projecting points assist in locomotion. There are no feet. Spir- 

 acles are present on the third to eleventh segments, counting the head as first 

 segment. There are no spiracles on the twelfth segment. On the dorsum of the 

 thirteenth (last) segment on either side there is a conspicuous dark eye-spot (spir- 

 acles?). In the plate herewith these anatomical details are shown. 



Westeen Cobn Root Wobm (Diabrotica longicornis Say). 



The attacks of this pest in Kansas cornfields are too often not recognized, the 

 results of the insect's work, i. e., the stunting and falling over of cornstalks, being 

 accredited to drowning or to drouth, or to lack of nourishment in the^oil. The 

 adult insect is a small, bluish-green beetle, which feeds largely on corn pollen. The 

 "worm," or larva, does the real damage by burrowing into the tender growing roots 

 of the corn, and, by destroying the roots, starving the corn plants. In badly-infested 

 fields a strong wind will topple over many of these rootless plants. 



This pest has been reported from many localities in Kansas during 1891 and 1892. 

 Mr. S. J. Hunter, a student of entomology at the University, has compiled some in- 

 teresting notes regarding the occurrence of this insect this summer in the neighbor- 

 hood of his home, Greeley, Kas. A field of 30 acres, which has been in corn for six 

 years consecutively, is damaged in spots all over. About 10 acres will not make 

 more than one-third of a crop. Another field of 14 acres, which has been in corn 

 for five consecutive years, is damaged one-third. Twenty acres of another 30-acre 

 field show the presence of the insect, about 5 per cent, of the stalks being affected. 

 A half-dozen or more other fields in this neighborhood are infested, all of which 

 have been in corn for several consecutive years. 



The remedy for this corn pest is easy and sure. As the insect larvit, so far as 

 known, can live on nothing but corn roots, a simple rotation of crops will starve 

 them out in any given field. 



Ham Fly ( Piophila casei Linn.) 



In August, 1891, complaint was made by one of the large packing houses of Kan- 

 sas City, Mo., that a "skipper" was doing much damage to smoked meats. Speci- 

 mens of larvae and adults, soon after received from the packing company, showed 

 the pest to be the well-known cheese-skipper fly; its occurrence in packing houses 

 having been several times before recorded. The amount of injury reported by the 

 Kansas City packing house was surprisingly large, though only smoked meats were 

 attacked. Shipments of bacons and hams were often returned by consignees be- 

 cause of the "skippery " condition of the meats. As much as $1,500 worth of spoiled 

 meats were returned within one week. 



In February, 1892, 1 received a large number of larvae, and kept them in breeding 



