Ain-il. '09] JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY I53 



as soon as the larvie are seen and then ])ui'ninu otf th;' field many ejjg's 

 and yonnu' hirva^ will be destroyed and many adults crippled. The al- 

 falfa quickly recovers from the ])urninp: and a good crop is assured. 

 Seriously infested fields may be deeply ploughed in late ^Nlay or early 

 June, in this manner killing practir-ally all the larva? ajid eggs and 

 turning under good fertilizing- material. AVhile this is one of the 

 surest methods of handling the insect, it will be hard to get the average 

 farmer to consent to such measure, unless it is an old piece of lucerne 

 that will soon have to be broken up. Any means used in th-:; field 

 should not be begun until all the weevils are out from hibernation. 



Clean cultivation around the edges of the fields and on the ditch 

 banks, especially burning up all trash after the weevils have gone 

 into hibernation, will aid considerably in controlling them. Un- 

 fortunately the weevil is beginning to turn its attention to sweet clover 

 (Melilotus alha) and to yellow clover (Mdilofvs officinalis) and red 

 clover {Trifoliion praicnsc), the first named plant being very com- 

 mon along roadsides and ditch banks in some localities. 



Xo parasitic insects have been ])red from any stage of the species. 

 Horned toads, swifts, and the connnon garden toad all feed upon the 

 Aveevil and the latter also eats the larva\ Chickens will pick up the 

 weevils and if the larva? are numerous enough will also feed upon 

 them, but do not seem to especially relish the food. A field mouse was 

 found with remains of a weevil and it is probable that some birds will 

 attack them. 



^Mr. Sciiwarz : ]\rr. President, five Eur()})ean species of PJiyto- 

 nomus have been imported into this country, three of which, includ- 

 ing the alfalfa leaf beetle, are of economic importance. The well- 

 known clover leaf beetle iPliytonomus punciatns) was originally in- 

 troduced into the state of New York. A second species, Pliyto nonius 

 nigrirosiris, which for many years was known only in the northeastern 

 states, has suddenly made its appearance in the vicinity of Washing- 

 ton, D. C, and threatens to become as injurious to clover as the original 

 clover leaf beetle. Its natural hi.story is now being worked out by 

 Prof. F. :\r. Webster. 



Insects belonging to the eircum-polar fauna or insects that have been 

 imported from Europe into our northeastern states never spread south- 

 ward, and such invasions as those of P. punctatus and P. nigrirosiris 

 indicate that these particular species were imported from I^urope into 

 regions lying south of the transition fauna. 



I predict that the alfalfa leaf weevil will spread rapidly to the al- 



