172 Forty-ninth Report on the State Museum 



Its Probable Occurrence in Pennsylvania. 



With this difference in time in mind, the error has just been detected of 

 my referring to the Oberea a raspberry cane attack in Great Bend, Pa., 

 given in the Country Gentleman of May 23, 1878 (page 328) as follows : 



" To-day [May 14th] as I entered my patch of choice raspberry bushes, 

 I found that the tops of nearly half of the young canes, which are from a 

 few inches to nearly two feet above the ground, were wilted and lopped 

 down. On a closer inspection I found that a very small white worm 

 had entered the cane from three to eight inches from the top and eaten 

 clear around close inside the bark. I fear that my crop for next season 

 will be ruined. " 



There can hardly be a question that the above was the work of the 

 Anthomyia fly larva, and not that of the beetle. This would give us at 

 present the following known localities for the insect, although in all 

 probability it is pretty widespread, but has often been mistaken for that 

 of the Oberea: Ottawa, Canada; Lansing, Mich.; Adams, Jefferson 

 county, N. Y.; Costello, Potter county, Pa.; and Great Bend, Susque- 

 hanna county, Pa. 



Remedy. 



The wilting of the tips of the canes is so conspicuous that the presence 

 of the insects may be at once recognized. By cutting off the tips con- 

 taining the young larvae and destroying them, the attack can be arrested, 

 and if a local one, immunity from its repetition secured unless through 

 a new introduction. 



Anthrenus scrophulariae (Linn.) 



The Carpet Beetle. 



(Ord. Coleoptera: Fam. Dermestid^.) 

 Mrs. H. A. Pratt, of Gloversville, N. Y., communicates the fact of her 

 finding hundreds of the beetles collected on the spikes of the blossoms 

 of the garden rhubarb {Rheum rhaponticum), where 

 she watched them for two or three days. In the sun- 

 shine, they readily took wing, and at nightfall their 

 « r-.T» «a«ir«3raM a numbcr was much smaller and they seemed quite 

 •*■ 7 JhHI»HHl\ stupid. From their returning the following day 

 with the sunshine, in full force, it was thought 

 that they may have sought a warmer place for the 

 night, or had fallen to the ground, as many had 

 Fig II. — The Carpet bee- been seen to do, and remained there during the 



tie, Anthrenus scro- ' a C 



PHULAKI.E. (After Riley.) pcnoQ 01 rest. 



