December, '11] websteR: insects of ion in iowa 527 



infested pastures or meadows were defoliated. The weather conditions 

 in this case had much to do with the damage done by the grasshoppers. 

 The dry weather had kept the pastures bare for a long period during 

 the summer, so that the grasshoppers were forced to find their food 

 elsewhere, consequently the damage to grain crops. 



In August a number of newspaper reports were noticed which gave 

 accounts of flights of the grasshoppers. These were mostly from 

 northern Iowa 



Blister beetles. Two species of bhster beetles, Epicauta vittata Fab. 

 and Epicauta pennsylvanica DeG., were common in Iowa this year. 

 The former species was abundant on potatoes, the latter on alfalfa, 

 potatoes and corn. One farmer near Spencer, Iowa, told me that the 

 black blister beetle {Epicauta pennsylvanica) literally cleaned out a 

 field of alfalfa for him. 



Since the grasshoppers were very common in the state, there should 

 be plenty of grasshopper eggs for the bUster beetle larva? this fall, 

 and it is certainly safe to prophesy an abundance of these two species 

 for next year. 



Chatocnema elongatida Crotch. This tiny, black, flea beetle, kindly 

 determined for me by Prof. H. F. Wickham, was found causing very 

 serious damage to apple foliage in an orchard near Storm Lake, Iowa, 

 in August. The injury to the foliage made itself known by a dried 

 appearance around the outer margins of the leaves. This was caused 

 by the removal of the upper epidermis, which allowed that part of the 

 leaf to dry out. Whole trees were brown and ragged from the injury. 

 Where the damage was worst many leaves were cut nearly into shreds. 

 On some trees not a leaf had been left uninjured, so that the damage 

 had been very severe and was very conspicuous. 



At first I could not detect the cause of the injury, but JBnally found 

 the beetles fairly common on the leaves. The worst of the damage 

 had been done, apparently, when I examined the leaves, and the 

 beetles were no doubt decreasing in numbers. The owner of this 

 orchard told me that he noticed the injury in June or July, while I 

 did not visit the place until August. 



The orchard was an old one, and in sod. Possibly the larvae of this 

 beetle may have been breeding in the sod, and suddenly becoming 

 numerous, caused the damage to the foliage. I am not aware that 

 this species has ever been recorded as being of any economic impor- 

 tance. 



