515 



till both liquids are thoroughly mixed. For use, it should be diluted 

 with water in the proportion of one part to thirty. Fumigation with 

 burning tobacco stems and other agents, after placing a low tent over 

 the plants, has been tried vdih only partial success. The bug, Lepto- 

 glossns membranaceus, F., combines wdth the melon fly to destroy 

 the fruit, the flies lapng their eggs in the holes made by the bug. The 

 melon fly, Daciis cucurhitae, Coq., attacks the fruits only, ovipositing 

 in wounds on the surface. The feeding of the larvae on the internal 

 soft parts results in complete rotting. 



Pethekbridge (F. R.). Frit Fly {Oscinis frit) attacking Winter 

 Wheat. — Ann. App. Biol, London, iv, nos. 1 & 2, September 

 1917, pp. 1-3. 



It is evident from the records of the past three years that Oscinella 

 (Oscinis) frit, which is knowTi to injure late-sown spring oats, must also 

 be considered a pest of winter wheat in Britain, the attacks generally 

 occurring on crops that follow rye grass or Italian rye grass {Lolium 

 italieum), though many species of grasses are recorded as food-plants 

 of this fly. Wheat sown in mid-November and early December has 

 been found infested, which is unexpected, if the fly has but three 

 generations in a year, as previously supposed. The first brood has 

 been known to appear in April and May and deposits eggs on spring 

 corn ; the second appears in July, eggs being laid on the ears of oats 

 or barley or on the shoots of cereals and grasses ; the third is found 

 in August and September and oviposits on shoots of grasses or early- 

 sown winter corn. Without fm'ther knowledge of the life-history, 

 it is difficult to accomit for the attacks on winter w^heat, but the 

 following hypotheses are suggested : The third brood of flies may 

 hatch over a very long period, so that the last ones oviposit on winter 

 wheat ; some of the third brood may be capable of living until 

 December before laying their eggs ; the larvae of the third brood 

 may under certain conditions give rise to a fourth brood that oviposits 

 on winter wheat ; finally, the ffies of the third brood may migrate from 

 the plants on which they have hatched to the wheat, which is sown 

 after the former host-j)lants are ploughed in. This last seems the most 

 l^robable explanation and would also account for the absence of the 

 adult fly in the winter months. Further knowledge as to the life-history 

 of 0. frit is needed before the most efficient means of reducing attacks 

 on winter wheat can be discovered. 



Walton (C. L.). Some Farm Insects observed in the Aberystwyth 

 Area, 1913-1916. — Ann. App. Biol., London, iv, nos. 1 & 2, 

 September 1917, pp. 4-14. 



The caterpillars of Pieris brassicae and P. rapae damaged garden 

 Crucifers and to a lesser extent swedes, from sea-level to 1,100 ft. 

 altitude. Broccoli and sprouts growing on steep, sunny banks and 

 in the upper parts of fields in hot, dry places, suffered most, while 

 gardens and fields in damp situations were least affected. Scattering 

 lime and soot and dusting with basic slag and baking-powder were 

 found unsuccessful, though dusting with pyrethrum was rapidly 

 effective. A large proportion of the larvae were parasitised by the 

 Braconid, Apanteles [Microgaster) glomeratus. 



(C41C) c2 



