JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 



OFFICIAL ORGAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS 



JUNE, 1919 



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Last winter entomologists of the northeastern United States found 

 themselves confronted with a serious problem, namely the positive 

 identification of a destructive Pyraustid caterpillar at a time when 

 the comparatively harmless larvae of allied species were practically 

 unknown. Pyraustids have not occupied a conspicuous place as 

 economic insects and have for the most part been left alone by economic 

 entomologists. They have not proved particularly attractive to 

 systematists. This is specially true of the larvse. The conditions 

 occurring last winter may easily be duplicated in other groups, though 

 no one can indicate with any great degree of assurance the group of 

 insects likely to be troublesome next. These facts suggest the need, 

 and this is recognized by most entomologists, of a more symmetrical 

 or general knowledge of the insect fauna as a whole. There are many 

 earnest students engaged in solving problems and, unfortunately in 

 some cases at least, there has been undesirable concentration upon a 

 few groups at the expense of others which do not at the time appear so 

 important or seem specially attractive. The present is an excellent 

 time to consider this lack of method for the country as a whole and to 

 see if some pract-ical way cannot be found to overcome the difficulty. 

 An intelligent distribution of effort would greatly lessen the probability 

 of a recurrence of conditions such as obtained last winter. Would it 

 not be possible for the specialists in various lines to suggest the groups 

 requiring particular attention and wh(>n these are pointed out it might 

 be feasible to work through our national organizations and secure a 

 distribution of these problems to those willing to undertake such 



