Eighth Report of the State Entomoloois'i. 125 



to the ground, where they bury for their transformation, to rea])- 

 pear the following spring as the winged midge. The infested 

 fruit, with its interior eaten away, soon falls from the tree. The 

 insect, wherever observed— in France, England, and in this country, 

 has shown a decided preference for some particular variety of 

 pear, while attacking most of the others. With us, the Lawrence 

 has l)een the attractive one, to the extent of its croj) proving 

 almost an entire failure — at least nine-tenths of it having been 

 destroyed both in Meriden, Conn., and at Catskill, N. Y. Notice 

 of both of these insects will befoundin the following pages, Avhere 

 the results of the studies made upon them are detailed. 



In my fifth report account is given of an attack on 

 young pears at Rochester, N. Y., in which the fruit was com- 

 pletely ruined by the gnarling, knotting, and deformation caused 

 by the punctures and feeding of one of the plant-bugs, Lygus 

 2)ratensi8 (Linn.). A similar attack was brought to my notice 

 during the early summer, occurring at South Byron, Genesee 

 county, of a closely resembling species, Lygus invitus (Say). The 

 operation of the insect was carefully watched, and interesting 

 observations made upon it. Fortunately, these injuries, while 

 quite general, are not often severe. In only one other instance 

 were they deemed of sufficient importance to merit report — in 

 Monroe county, where a crop of Seckels was badly gnarled in 

 August from a second brood of the Lygus. 



Of other fruit insects of which complaint has been made, these 

 may be noticed: The cherr}^ aphis, Myziis cerasi (Fabr.), caused 

 considerable injury in St. Lawrence county in the early part of 

 July. The plum aphis, Aphis pruni Fabr., abounded in some 

 plum orchards at Schoharie, N, Y., affecting the foliage quite 

 severely. The plum curculio was unusually harmful in parts of 

 Albany county. It is rarely so injurious in the eastern part of the 

 State that it is necessary to resort to " jarring " for its destruc- 

 tion. At North Salem, Westchester county, the rose-bug, in the lat- 

 ter part of June, is said to have almost ruined grapes and peaches, 

 and somewhat later, vineyards in Jefferson and Oswego counties 

 were reported as nearly destroyed by immense swarms of the 

 same insect. According to an account received, the currant- 

 worm, Nem,atus rihesii Scop., when threatening the destruction of 

 the currant crop, at Millbrook, Dutchess county, early in June, 

 was killed by heavy rains occurring at that time. 



