June, '09] journal of economic entomology 223 



tanee, and sometimes boring into the spikelet. In some instances the 

 web may connect two or three near-by buds, the larva resting between 

 or in one of them. The larvfe when disturbed or driven from their 

 retreat move along the spikelet with a quick, jerky motion. No adults 

 were reared, so I do not know the species. 



On some of the trees, where male spikelets were in bloom, the spike 

 would be literally covered with two species of Oedemerids, Ananca 

 livida Fab. (Oliv.). and A. collaris Sharp (also identified by Mr. 

 Schwarzj, the former being more abundant. They were feeding on 

 the pollen and where a spike was badlj' attacked practically all the 

 pollen was destroyed. This might prove to be of some importance if 

 many trees were attacked. Mr. Schwarz points out that the members 

 of the closely related American genus Oxacis breed in rotten wood and 

 that the imagoes of some of the Florida species congregate on the 

 flowers of palm trees. A thorough study of the insect enemies of the 

 cocoanut trees in this region would doubtless result in a considerable 

 saving to the planters. 



RECENT WORK IN INSECT BEHAVIOR AND ITS 

 ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE^ 



By WiLLi.\M B. Herms, Assistant Professor in Entomology, Vniversitij of 



California 



Animal behavior has been the subject of much investigation during 

 the past ten years, with the purpose of analyzing the organism's 

 method of orientation to a stimulus and the method of locomotion to- 

 ward or away from such a source of stimulation. Paper after paper 

 has been published, affording considerable information on the sub- 

 ject, — the "tropism" scheme, the "trial and error" method, and the 

 "random movement" method have been advanced and criticised, inter- 

 nal factors and external factors have been considered, sundry methods 

 of experimentation have been applied, — but little has been done with 

 an economic aim. Certainly a narrow viewpoint would be evident 

 were we to expect an immediate economic return for every new effort 

 in science ; it must be considered that many if not all applied sciences 

 have found their origin in pure science, and a heedless attitude toward 

 the same may result in actual hindrance to progress. But the agri- 

 culturist who has to deal at first hand with the pests of the orchards 

 and of the field may well ask the question of the student of animal 



^A paper presented at the Watsonville (California) Entomological Confer- 

 ence, Aug. 25, 1908. 



