672 



base of the tree. The adult is on the wing in July and August. The 

 Ichneumonid parasite, Odontomerus mellipes, Say, infests P. hrunnea 

 in West Virginia and the adult beetle has been found in the stomach 

 of Nuttallornis borealis (olive-sided flycatcher). The best method of 

 preventing injury by this pest is the keeping of trees in such a condition 

 that the beetle will not oviposit in them. Any injury to the trunks 

 and larger branches should have attention. Winter injuries and 

 diseases are less easily preventable, but, where these are present, the 

 pest may be kept out temporarily at least by a liberal use of paint 

 applied to the dead surfaces in the spring or early summer. When 

 the borers have gained entrance, the only practicable way of removing 

 them is to chisel out all the wood through which their burrows extend ; 

 the cavity is then carefully cleaned, sterilised with creosote, painted 

 with a heavy coat of coal-tar and filled with cement. 



ScAMMELL (H. B.). The Cranberry Rootworm. — U.S. Dept. Agric. 

 Washington, D.C., Bull. no. 263, 19th July 1915, 8 pp., 2 plates. 



The Chrysomelid, Rhabdoptenis piicipes, Oliv., (cranberry rootworm) 

 is widely disseminated throughout the United States and is also 

 reported from Canada. It has recently been found in a number of 

 cranberry bogs in New Jersey. The adult beetle has been found on 

 myrtle, basswood, wild grape, cranberry, blueberry and inkberry ; 

 its larvae are abundant on the roots of the cranberry, though two 

 years' observation has shown that the injury caused is not of prime 

 importance and not comparable in severity with that caused by Cramhus 

 Jiortuellus, Hb. (cranberry girdler), to which insect the injury produced 

 by R. picipes has probably heretofore been attributed. The cJiief 

 harm is caused by the feeding of the larvae upon the roots and runners, 

 where the latter come in contact with the ground. As a rale, only 

 the bark is eaten from the large secondary roots, while the fibrous 

 roots, which are very numerous, are completely devoured. Generally 

 the rootworm feeds in the soil, while the girdler feeds on the surface. 

 The plants wliich suffer most are those on sandy land. Where the 

 roots are severely injured, the leaves wither and turn red or brown. 

 Small areas which are thus killed out, are almost invariably at the 

 margin of the bogs or on relatively high and sandy areas in the interior 

 of them. The mud and peat bottoms rarely suffer. The various 

 stages of the insect are described. The emergence of the adults from 

 the soil begins about mid- June. The egg-stage varies from 6 to 11 

 days. The small larvae feed on the fibrous roots near the surface. 

 They may be found feeding at all times during the summer and until 

 quite late in the autumn, at which time some of them go deeper into 

 the ground. When feeding ceases, a round cell is formed in the soil 

 within which the larva hibernates until spring. If the bog is flooded 

 during the winter, the larvae remain dormant, at least until the flood 

 is drawn in spring, when feeding is resumed. R. picipes spends most 

 of its life in the larval stage, approximately 10 months. The time 

 when pupation commences varies somewhat with the management of 

 the bog ; the earlier the flood is drawn of?, the earlier will be the date of 

 general pupation. The average duration of the pupal stage was found 

 to be lih days, and from 2 to 3 days were spent by the adult hardening 

 in the cell and reaching the surface. Winter flooding or spring 



