October, '22] hayes: sorghum insects 355 



wings caught on the moist surface of the sorghum leaf. Several wingless 

 queens were found under leaves, stalks, etc. Discarded wings were 

 abundant on the surface of the soil. A spider was found carrying a 

 dead, wingless queen on the surface of the sorghimi plots. Aug. 5, 1920. 

 A colony was found at the college farm in a com field which contained 

 a nimiber of winged males, showing that not all participated in the flight 

 of July 27." 



During the flight, twelve of the newly mated queens were collected 

 and placed in soil in jelly glasses. By Aug. 19, some of the queens 

 had as high as 12 half grown larvae in a small chamber hollowed out in 

 the soil, and on vSept. 25 a few workers were noted in several of the 

 colonies. Nine of these queens successfully passed the winter in a cave 

 and began to build up their colonies the next spring and summer. Seven 

 colonies surviving are now passing their second winter in the cave. A 

 second flight was observed by Mr. J. W. McColloch on July 5, 1921. 

 This flight was 22 days earlier than the 1920 one, and as in the case of 

 that flight, was preceded by a heavy rain. 



The Seed Corn Maggot. — The seed com maggot, Hylemyia cilicrura 

 Rd. {Phorhia Jusciceps Zett.) was found by Mr. E. G. Kelly seriously 

 damaging planted kafir seed at Olathe, Kansas. A single repellent 

 test conducted with tobacco compounds, using nicotine resinate, 

 tobacco oil, and nicotine sulphate (40%), on Commercial White corn, 

 indicates that they may be of some value. The nicotine sulphate which 

 had a strong odor at the end of the test had not injured germination, 

 and in comparison with the check, had repelled the larvae. Further 

 tests are desirable to make this conclusive. 



Pheidole sp. (Hym.). — A species of Pheidole did considerable damage 

 to planted sorghrmi as well as com seeds at Manhattan during May 

 and early June. Their work was evident on the surface by small mounds 

 which in most cases were covered with fine white particles of the seed 

 carried to the surface. The damage is quite similar to that of Solenopsis 

 molesta, the ants evidently preferring the oily parts of the seed, leaving 

 the starch in finely chopped bits. As high as 21 percent of injury was 

 noted (Red kafir) and 19 varieties were attacked. 



Literature Cited 

 Riley, W. V. 



1882 — Report of the Entomologist. Rept. Comm. Agri. for 1881 and 1882— p. 

 187-189. 

 Mally, F. W. 



1893 — -Report on the Boll Worm of Cotton {Heliothis armiger Hubn.) U. S. 

 Dept. of Agri., Div. Ent., Bull. 29 (old series) pp. 1-73. 



