REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 1904 



371 



multiply and consequently while we captured about 94% less 

 insects, the actual reduction was considerably more, as allowance 

 should be made for a normal increase. 



Table of beetles taken with Morehouse catcher 1904 



Rows 



I St collecting 

 ' July I, 2 



2d collecting 

 July 12 



3d collecting 

 July 16-19 



Grand total 9240, a reduction of 94% 



The operations of 1904 showed that under certain conditions 

 considerable shelling of the grapes was likely to result unless great 

 care was exercised in jarring. The relief, as the result of cultiyat- 

 ing and collecting, is so great that wherever a vineyard is badly 

 infested with beetles, there can hardly a question arise as to the 

 advisability of sacrificing, if need be, a few grapes for the sake of 

 practically freeing an infested area from such a dangerous enemy 

 of the vines. 



Experiments with arsenical poisons. It is very difficult to secure 

 reliable data on the efficacy of poisons for controlling this insect. 

 The beetles do not succumb quickly and therefore we do not find 

 many dead on the ground at any one time, which would be conclu- 

 sive evidence of their being destroyed by poison. Secondly, the 

 beetles exhibit a marked preference for unsprayed foliage and 

 in search therefor frequent concealed, unsprayed leaves and prob- 

 abl}-, when flying about the vineyard as they do more or less, work 

 from the poisoned to the unpoisoned vines. Naturally those find- 

 ing themselves on wholesome foliage, are inclined to remain there 

 and as a consequence large areas uniformly infested with a great 

 many beetles, are necessary for satisfactory results. It is obviously 

 unfair to compare sprayed rows with closely adjacent unsprayed 

 ones because the activity of the beetles would naturally lead them 

 to fly more when on sprayed vines and less on untreated ones, 



