313 



destructive pests, this being specially necessaiy o\\nng to the fact 

 that foreign inspection is hkely to be someAvhat imperfect during 

 the European war. 



Cory (E. N.). Molasses Sprays for the Control of Monarthropalpus 

 buxi, La,\ion. — Jl. Econ. Entom., Concord, N.H.,xi, no. 2, April 

 1918, p. 269. 



The experimental spraying of a boxwood hedge at Baltimore for 

 the control of Monarthropalpus buxi (boxwood midge) showed that 

 large numbers of adults were trapped by a spray composed of 4 lb. 

 molasses to 50 U.S. gals, water. 



Webster (R. L.). Notes on a *S/)iVaea Leaf-roller. — Jl. Econ. Entom., 

 Concord, N.H., xi, no. 2, Apnl 1918, p. 269. 



Olethreutes hemidesma, Z., though not usually recognised as being 

 of any particular economic importance, has been generally common 

 throughout Iowa in 1916 and 1917, doing considerable damage to 

 Spiraea in nurseries. 



There are e\'idently two generations in Iowa and Illinois, the larvae 

 being abundant in July and again in late August and September. 

 From insectar}^ records moths emerged from 22nd July to 9th August, 

 the pupal period having an average length of 5-8 days. 



HoRTON (J. R.). Control of the Argentine Ant in Orange Groves.— 



IJ.S. Dept. Agric, Washington, B.C., Farmers' Bull. no. 928, 

 March 1918, 20 pp., 6 figs. [Received 22nd May 1918.] 



The Argentine ant {Iridomijrmex humilis, Mayr), though an 

 important household pest [see this Review, Ser. A, i, p. 325], does not 

 directly cause injury in orange groves, though its presence results in 

 scale-insects and Aphids becoming much more abundant. In Cali- 

 fornia the control of Pseudococcus citri, Risso, by its natural enemies 

 is largely prevented by the presence of this ant, which however can 

 be controlled by banding the trees, and by the use of poisoned baits. In 

 Louisiana the ant has had no effect in increasing mealy bugs, which 

 are there held in check by natural enemies, this being true of 

 Icerya purcha,si. Mask, (fluted scale), Saissetia oleae, Bern, (black 

 scale). Coccus hesperidum, L. (soft brown scale), Ceroplastes florid ensis, 

 Comst. (Florida wax scale), and C. cirripediformis, Comst. (barnacle 

 scale). 



The ant does not attend armoured scales, of which the most destruc- 

 tive to orange trees in Louisiana are Lepidosaphes beckii, Newm. 

 (purple scale), Parlatoriu pergandei, Comst. (chaff scale), L. gloveri, 

 Pack, (long scale) and Chionaspis citri, Comst. (white scale), but it 

 disturbs their natural enemies and feeds on the eggs of some of them. 

 Hence an orchard that is never sprayed or fumigated may become, 

 after two or three years, heavily infested owing to the presence of 

 the ants. 



In Louisiana, owing to the heavy rainfall, permanent control and 

 the ultimate elimination of this ant can be achieved by the destruc- 

 tion of ant colonies in specially constructed traps. These traps 



