284 



ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1914 OF THE 

 ZOOLOGIST. 



The weather conditions of the past year have been quite 

 remarkable, and a correspondingly unusual incidence of insect 

 attacks was therefore rather expected. As a fact, however, 

 there has been singularly little departure from the ordinary in 

 the matter of injurious insects. Some pests, notably various 

 species of aphis, have been more active than usual, but several 

 that are commonly associated with long spells of dry weather 

 were almost absent. There is little, therefore, that calls for 

 special notice, and the subjoined Report is chiefly designed to 

 indicate the scope of the work of the department during 1914. 



Forest Tree Pests. 



The forest insects enquired about during the year were for 

 the most part familiar pests, such as pine beetle, pine-shoot 

 tortrix, elm-bark beetle, spruce-galls, &c. There was no recur- 

 rence of the spruce aphis, so injurious to Sitka spruce in the 

 spring of last year, and the view that that attack was due to alto- 

 gether exceptional weather conditions seems to be confirmed. 



The caterpillar observed last year to be feeding on the pollen 

 of linus pinaster was reared, and Mr Dun-ant, of the British 

 Museum, kindly identified the moth as Olethreutes hifasciana. 

 It is known to Lepidopterists as a species obtainable from 

 various kinds of pine, but I find no record of it as a pest from 

 the forester's point of view. Numerous questions have been 

 asked with regard to beetles of the genera Anobiutn, JTestoiium, 

 and Lyctus, which burrow in dead wood. 



Fruit Pests. 



Attacks by various species of aphis were wide-spread and 

 severe during the season. There was much apple-sucker. I 

 never saw such quantities of red-spider eggs as were noticeable 

 on the trees last spring, though later on the attacks of this pest 

 were not as violent as had been anticipated. 



The codlin moth did considerable harm in regions where it 

 is usually scarce, and in some districts a large percentage of 

 apples were bored by its caterpillar. 



Of bush-fruit pests gooseberry saw-fly was especially preva- 

 lent, recuri'ing throughout the dry summer. 



It is worth noting that an application of the salt and lime 

 wash used by Mr. Pethybridge at Cambridge to prevent apple- 

 sucker attack proved much more successful against aphis. 

 Notwithstanding a very thorough application of the wash the 

 trees suffered considerable injury fi-om apple-sucker, but their 

 leaves presented a striking contrast to those of neighbouring 

 untreated trees, which were all curled and distorted by aphis. 



