18 



THE REPORT OF THE 



No. 19 



required. Dr. Fyles furnished an arhicle on "The Paper-making Wasps of Quebec; Mr. A. 

 Gibson on " Some Interesting Habits of Lepidopterous Larvae," and an account of Semiophora 

 Youngii, a new enemy of tamarac and spruce trees ; Mr. Harrington, " Notes on Insects In- 

 jurious to Pines;" Prof. Lochhead, an illustrated " Key to Orchard Insects ; " Mr. Moffat, 

 " A Talk About Entomology ; " and Dr. Fletcher and Mr. Harrington the very valuiible 

 "Entomol.igical Record for 1902." 



REPORT ON INSECTS OF THE YEAR. 



Division No. 1. — Ottawa District. — By C. H, Young. Hurdman's Bridge. 



The season of 1903, as far as the writer has been able to observe, has not been a very 

 remarkable one as regards insect pests. Some of the well known enemies of the farmer were, 

 it is true, somewhat abundant, but with the exception of about three different pests, I have 

 not detected much serious damage to vegetation of any kind. The season has been an excep- 

 tionally damp and cool one, and undoubtedly, this explains the absence on the whole of special 

 outbreaks of injurious insects. 



Early in the season the Onion Maggot (Fig. 1) 



was very abundant, and caused considerable damage 



throughout this district. This insect like all the 



root maggots is very difficult to treat.- A remedy 



, which has given good results particularly in gardens 



^\^ is the sprinkling of the plants directly they appear 



above ground with a preparation containing some 

 form of Carbolic acid. Dr. Fletcher recommends 

 the following mixture : Take two quarts of soft 

 soap and boil in rain-water until all is dissolved, 

 then turn in one pint of crude carbolic acid. When 

 required for use take one part of this mixture with 

 fifty of water and when well mixed together sprinkle 

 with a watering-can, or spray directly upon the plants. 



Cutworms were abundant in May and June and caused serious damage to cabbages and 

 other plants when first ^put out. The species which was most abundant was the Dark-sided 

 Cutworm of Riley, Carneades messoria. The poisoned bran remedy which consists of simply 

 ordinary bran and Paris green in the proportion of 50 lbs. of the former to one of the latter 

 has given splendid results, particularly in gardens. The bran should first be moistened with 

 sweetened water, and the Paris green then added. 



Th& P]um »i)h\s {ApJiis 2yru)iifoJii)-w9,s. the cause of much damage in the Ottawa District. 

 These plant-lice swarmed on the trees in June and serious injury was done in many orchards. 

 The remedy for these insects is to spray the trees when the aphides are first noticed, before 

 they cause the leaves to curl, with whale-oil-soap, 1 lb. in 5 gallons of water, or kerosene 

 emulsion of the usual strength 1 to 9 of water. The Currant f^&w-Qy {Nematns ribesii,) w&s 

 rather more than usually abundant during the past season, and stripped the foliage of many 

 bushes in gardens near Chelsea, Q. and north to Meeck's Lake 



On the whole the collecting season must be characterized as poor, owing to the very 

 unfavourable weather. 



The month of August, however, was better ^nd during that month, I had very fair results 

 with " sugar." One interesting capture which is worthy of mention is of a specimen of ^'Erelns 

 ofloro." Many (tlier noctuids were taken, some of which are shown at the meeting to-day. 



