570 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. y 



Scientific Notes 



The Velvet Bean Caterpillar. The velvet bean caterpillar has damaged thousands 

 of acres of velvet beans in Florida during the past month, and little effort has been 

 made by the farmers to control it. The so-called "cholera" (Botrytis rileyi). is now 

 becoming effective in the field and will probably kill 90 to 95 per cent, of the cater- 

 pillars, as it does about this time each year. 



R. N. Wilson. 



Alfalfa Caterpillar. The most notable recent damage caused by insects in South- 

 ern Arizona was that of the alfalfa caterpillar, Euryrmis eurytheme. The worms 

 were especialty numerous, and had it not been for a contagious disease which finally 

 brought it under control, the damage would have been much more severe than it was. 

 Irrigation of certain fields proved at this time to be an almost certain check upon the 

 outbreak, since the added moisture was conducive to the further development of the 

 disease, and the worms died within a few days after the water was applied. 



V. L. WiLDEMUTH. 



A Plague of Leaf-Hoppers. On the evening of August 30 the city of Columbia, 

 fS. C, and subm-bs were visited by myriads of leaf-hoppers belonging to the species 

 £>r<oeculacephala reticulata. These "hoppers" were so abundant on the main thor- 

 ■ oughfare in the city as to cause very much annoyance to pedestrians. Offices, res- 

 taurants, ice-cream parlors and moving-picture houses were infested and some of 

 them were forced to close up for the night. A band that was playing on the top of 

 :an eleven-story building was compelled to quit for the evening. On the following 

 •jiight the leaf-hoppers were again present but in small numbers. 



P. LXJGINBILL. 



Moving Lights Versus Stationary Lights m Phototropism Experiments. Recently, 

 the writer had the opportunity of witnessing the operation of a machine designed to 

 capture the adults of injurious species of insects. A light was used to attract the 

 insects, and on flying near the burner a powerful suction of air created by a gasoline 

 engine whirled them into an inner chamber with such force as to kill the softer ones 

 and cripple the harder species such as beetles and grass-hoppers. The machine was 

 mounted on a truck which was drawn along the edges of the fields of a sugar planta- 

 tion. Whether it is really efficient has not been determined, and as it is not now 

 being operated there has been no further opportunity to ob.serve it in action. 



It was noted that considerable numbers of moths of Dkitroea sacchnralis and La- 

 ■phygma frugiperda, especially gravid females, were attracted by the hght. As these 

 species are seldom found at trap Ughts which have been ojjerated at Audubon Park 

 for several years, it would seem that there must be a difference between these Ughts 

 and the hght used in the machine. As Ughts of various intensities and colors have 

 been tried at Audubon Park, however, the writer beUeves that the difference Ues not 

 in the lights themselves but in the fact that the Ughts at the Park are stationary while 

 the Ught on the machine is moved about from place to place among the fields and 

 thus attracts one group of insects after another. In fact, the attraction of group 

 after group could very readily be noted. When the insects were abundant the truck 

 was stopped for one or two minutes, and when the cloud of insects had disappeared, 

 either settUng again or being sucked into the machine, the mules were started and 

 the machine was driven a few yards further on. Possibly the mere motion of the 

 ight exercised some attraction which stationary Ughts do not possess. Other possi- 



