June, '22 felt: European corn borer in new york 237 



The spread in New York State has been moderate, approximately 

 a six mile extension on all boundaries, though the increase in the known 

 infested area has been somewhat greater, due presumably to the difficul- 

 ty of establishing the actual limits each season. There are now nearly 

 5000 square miles infested in New York State. 



The similarity of conditions last summer in the infested areas of 

 eastern and western New York and Ontario, Can., is further shown by 

 the finding of the first pupa in the field at Scotia and Port Stanley May 

 30th, the first moths at Scotia and Silver Creek June 16th, an empty 

 pupal case at Port Stanley on the same date, and the first egg mass at 

 Scotia June 16th, at Silver Creek June 22d and at Port Stanley June 

 25th. Furthermore, in each of these localities, there was a partial, 

 though very small, second generation. 



The season of 1921 showed a marked increase in injury in the badly 

 infested area in Ontario, and since climatic and agricultiu-al conditions 

 in that section and in eastern and western New York, particularly the 

 latter, are very nearly identical, it may be that this development is 

 prognostic for the New York areas. Here again, we are venturing 

 into the realm of theory and this latter, when applied to the interpre- 

 tation of conditions in eastern New York as compared with those in 

 eastern Massachusetts has not always been entirely satisfactory. 



It is certain that in portions of both the eastern and western infested 

 areas in New York State, there are enough borers so that their progeny 

 under exceptionally favorable conditions, such as appear to have obtain- 

 ed last year, might cause very serious losses, particularly to the early 

 planted sweet and Flint com. This is a possibility, which by some might 

 be construed as a probability. 



The close studies of the corn borer under New York conditions for 

 the past three seasons have failed to show habitual breeding of this 

 insect in any plant except com and the occurrence of the borers in the 

 stems of weeds, etc. has been restricted to plants in the near vicinity of 

 corn. This relative freedom of other plants from infestation has 

 been reflected in the modified quarantine recently promulgated and 

 restricted in its application to com, broom com, all sorghums and sudan 

 grass. There is ground for fearing a more general infestation following 

 an increase in the relative number of the borers and should this occur, 

 it would inevitably mean an extension of quarantine measiires to other 

 plants and in these latter there would probably be several important 

 garden products. 



It is obvious that national and state agencies cannot indefinitely 

 continue to clean up the constantly increasing infested areas and it 



