February, '17] REEVES: ALFALFA WEEVIL 123 



that the abundant fat masses present in the former have completely 

 disappeared in the latter and indicate that the moths are entirely self- 

 sustaining, being dependent on outside food neither for bodily energy 

 nor for the development of the immature ova present when they 

 emerge from the pupa. Aside from an occasional individual acci- 

 dentally present we have never taken Crambid moths at sugar or 

 molasses put out for insect bait. In view of these facts it is practically 

 certain that if the moths feed at all, it is only on dew or rain drops and 

 that sweetened sprays would not attract them in the least from their 

 normal menu. 



We are forced to the conclusion that so far, at least, as this species 

 is concerned, and very probably with all Crambids, neither trap lights 

 nor poisoned baits in the form of sweetened liquids can be used suc- 

 cessfully under normal conditions to reduce the number of these very 

 common and secretly injurious insects. While the results as applied 

 to them are largely negative, several new and perhaps more widely 

 useful facts have been obtained in the course of the work and are herein 

 presented for use by others. 



Mr. E. 0. G. Kelly: I would like to ask Mr. Ainslee if he has 

 any data relative to the height of the light trap. 



Mr. G. G. Ainslee: I have not. I made no experiments along 

 that line. Our moths were not taken at light traps but at house win- 

 dows where they were observed to be abundant. 



President C. Gordon Hewitt: If there is no further discussion, 

 we will now adjourn. 



Adjournment. 



Morning Session, Saturday, December 30. 1916, 9.40 a. m. 



President C. Gordon Hewitt: I declare this meeting open. We 

 will listen to the first paper by Mr. George I. Reeves. 



THE ALFALFA WEEVIL INVESTIGATION 



By Geo. I. Reeves, U. S. Bureau of Entomology^ 



Introduction 



The entrance of the alfalfa weevil into the United States was spec- 

 tacular. The cotton boll weevil and the gipsy moth had shown the 

 country what a calamity the importation of a foreign insect pest might 

 be, and taught it to appreciate the gravity of such an attack upon a 

 staple crop. 



