478 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 7 



Lasius was often found in large numbers in the piles of cow and 

 horse manure dropped by cattle and horses in pastures. It was no- 

 ticed that, when this manure was disturbed, the ants promptly carried 

 away any dipterous larvae that might be exposed. Examination of a 

 large number of these piles of droppings showed that the number of 

 dipterous larvae found in the droppings where Lasius americanus was 

 present was much less than in those in which no ants were found. 

 Several nearly fresh piles of droppings, containing large numbers of 

 maggots but no ants, were taken from the pastures and placed in a 

 corn field over a large nest of Lasius americanus. When examined 

 three days later only one puparium and one larva with ants feeding 

 upon it was found. There had been at least seventy-five maggots in 

 the manure when it was placed over the ants' nest. 



Office of the Illinois State Entomologist. 



THE CALIFORNIA PEAR THRIPS IN MARYLAND 



By W. M. Scott, 

 Research Department, Thomsen Chemical Co., Baltimore, Md. 



On April 25, 1913, the writer observed a blighted condition of the 

 blossoms and leaves in a small Kieffer pear orchard near Baltimore, 

 Md., and a closer examination disclosed the fact that the trees were 

 literally alive with thrips. The leaves were curled and blackened at 

 the tips and around the margins, and most of the blossom clusters had 

 been destroyed. 



The common pear thrips of California, Euthrips pyri Daniel, was 

 suspected, but only larvae were present, the adults having disappeared, 

 and the species could not therefore be identified. 



Keeping this interesting outbreak in mind, the writer visited the 

 same orchard again on April 22, 1914, when the blossoms were begin- 

 ning to open, and found adult thrips present in great numbers. Speci- 

 mens were sent to Prof. A. L. Quaintance, of the Bureau of Entomology 

 at Washington, who reported that Mr. J. D. Hood, of the Biological 

 Survey, had examined them and identified the species as Tceniothrips 

 (Euthrips) pyri Daniel. 



This establishes a new locality for the pear thrips which has the 

 reputation of being the most destructive fruit tree insect in California. 

 Foster and Jones^ place "the damage caused by the pear thrips, in the 

 Santa Clara Valley alone, during the years from 1904 to 1910 at nearly 

 $2,000,000." The question of interest to both entomologists and 



lU. S. Dept. of Agr., Bur. Ent. Cir. No. 13, p. 2. 



