466 JOURNAL OP ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 2 



logical forces, such as enemies, diseases and meteorological conditions, must 

 be relied upon to check or control this pest. 



The feeding of Rhynchites was not confined to the rose flowers or buds, 

 but extended even to clusters of tender, unfolding leaves, which became 

 badly mutilated. 



Several pairs of insects were seen mating. Although a special effort was 

 made to observe egg-laying none were seen in the act. 



A summary of observations on this insect may be found in Bulletin No. 27 

 of the Bureau of Eutomologj- by F. H. Chittenden.^ Specimens have been 

 taken, according to Mr. Chittenden, in various places from the Pacific to the 

 Atlantic, but no outbreak in Massachusetts is recorded. While this year may 

 not be the first appearance of this iusect in Massachusetts, it is the first time 

 the damage has been general and noticeable in the central part of the state. 

 Close watch will be kept for its re-occurrence in succeeding years. 



NOTES ON HONEY BEES GATHERING HONEY-DEW 



FROM A SCALE INSECT, PHYSOKERMES 



PICEAE, SCHR. 



BuETON N. Gates, Ph. D., Bureau of Entomology, Washmgton, D. C. 



It is known that scale insects as well as aphids secrete honey-dew. For 

 instance, Lecanium olea;,^ upon the citrus fruits of California produce great 

 quantities of honey-dew, which collects as a coating upon the leaves and 

 is a medium for the growth of a fungus, Capnodium sp. The mycilium of this 

 fungus sometimes forms a felt over the leaf, closing the stomata and thus 

 killing the tree. 



On the spruces at Amherst, Mass., a scale less well known than this black- 

 scale attracted the writer's attention late in May and in June, 1908. Large 

 numbers of bees were humming in the trees on the campus of the agricultural 

 college. At times the roar was suggestive of a swarm. At first, however, 

 it was thought from the behavior of the bees that they were collecting 

 materials for propolis, but none were seen with a burden packed upon their 

 legs. By following a single bee it was possible to see her on a twig at the 

 union of the last two years' growth searching with extended tongue for 

 something apparently sweet. At the base of what looked to be a bud the bees 

 invariably worked as eagerly as at a drop of honey. This bud-resembling 

 structure was crushed and immediately revealed animal tissue. There were 

 thousands of these bud-like scales on the spruces and from them the bees 

 were busily collecting a liberal store of honey-dew. Some scales, however, 

 apparently produced more of the substance than others, because in some 

 instances globules or dried crystals of honey-dew were noticed at the base 

 of the insects. 



Specimens were sent to Mr. J. G. Sanders of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 who determined the scale to be Physokermes picece Schr., "a European species 



3 Washington, 1901. 



' Kellogg, Vernon L. 1905. American Insects. New York, Henry Holt & Co. VIII-f674 pp. 

 Page 187. 



