NOTES ON SOME OF THE INSECTS OF THE YEAR IN 

 THE STATE OF NEW YORK.* 



The year has been characterized by the absence of attacks of the usual 

 severity of a considerable number of our common insect pests — partic- 

 ularly those that infest our fruit trees. I do not recall a year before the 

 present one in which reports have not been received by me of abund- 

 ance of the apple-tree aphis, Aphis mali Linn., and of injuries feared 

 from it. The eye-spotted bud-moth, Tmetocera ocellana (Schitf.), which 

 has become so destructive to orchards in the western counties of the 

 State, has hardly been heard from. No abundant presence of the apple- 

 leaf Bucculatrix, Biicculatrix pomifoliella Clemens, has been reported to 

 me, nor of the apple case-bearer, Coleophora Fletchei-ella Fern. The 

 apple-tree tent-caterpillar, Clisiocampa Americana Harris, has been less 

 injurious than in preceding years. The hop-vine aphis, Phorodon hunmli 

 (Schrank), made its appearance late in the season — in August, in portions 

 of Madison and Oneida counties, and the blackening of the leaves from 

 deposit of honey-dew excited some alarm, but it is not believed that seri- 

 ous harm has been done. 



So far as my observation has extended — confirmed also by the observa- 

 tion of several collectors and others, — with a few notable exceptions, the 

 year has also been remarkable for a scarcity of insect life. Some short 

 excursions made in the vicinity of Albany specially for collecting, were 

 without any satisfactory results. My Adirondack collections were unusu- 

 ally limited. Apparently not one-fourth of the usual number of insects 

 were abroad (exceptions to this were the common house-fly and grass- 

 hoppers). Mosquitoes, the gray-gnat [Ceratopogon) and the black-flies 

 {Simuiitim), were among the rarities, even in the month of July. The 

 scarcity of butterflies was particularly noticeable, and was remarked upon 

 by others than entomologists. Not a single Papilio Turnus was seen nor 

 any of the other Papilios, except one Asierias. No Graptas were taken, 



* Read at the Eighth Annual Meetinff of the Association of Economic Entomologists at Buf- 

 falo, N. Y., August 22d, i8g6, and published in Bulletin 6 New Series, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, Division of Entomology, 1896. A few additions have since been made to the paper. 



