119 



Hewitt (C. G.). Report of the Dominion Entomologist for tiie year 

 ending March 31, 1915. — Dominion of Canada, Dept. Agric. 

 Ottawa, 1915, 40 pp., 4 figs., 2 plates, 1 map. [Received IGtli 

 February 191G.] 



Field work against the brown-tail moth [Euproctis chrysorrJioea] 

 was continued during the year. The infestation in New Brunswick 

 and Nova Scotia was very severe during 1913-14, owing to the 

 carriage by the wind of female moths from infested districts in New 

 England. Observations made during the winter showed that a 

 temperature of 30-5° F. was not fatal to all the young larvae in the 

 webs. The favourite food-plants were apple, choke cherry, thorn, 

 amelanchier, and plum ; other hosts on which webs were found for 

 the first time were birch, rose, hornbeam, dogwood, hazel, and 

 raspberry. Nearly 88 per cent, of the total number of webs collected 

 were obtained from apple. Feeding experiments carried out in the 

 summer of 1914 showed that first-stage caterpillars would feed and 

 mature on grey birch ; this fact is significant, since the birch is 

 abundant in New Bininswick. At Dalhousie, the greatest emergence 

 of larvae in spring took place from webs which had been covered with 

 snow during the winter. In Nova Scotia, the winter dropping of 

 the webs was found to be a serious factor, since it ensured the 

 continuation of the pest. 



The collection, breeding, and liberation of the natural enemies of 

 the gipsy and brown-tail moths was continued. These included the 

 parasites, Apanleles lacteicolor and Compsilura concinnata, and the 

 predaceous Carabid beetle, Calosoma sycophanta. 



The natural control of three native insect pests was studied, viz : — 

 Malacosoma disstria (forest tent caterpillar) Hyjihantria cunea (fall 

 webworm), and Tortrix {Harmologa) fumiferana (spruce budworm). 

 The study of the life-histories of some of the parasites was completed, 

 but the subject still requires further investigation. 



Insects affecting cereals and other field crops wei-e : — Cirphis 

 {Leucania) unipuncfu. Haw., attacking oats, barley, etc., throughout 

 eastern Canada ; Melanoplus atlanlis (lesser migratory locust) and 

 M. femur-rubrum (red-legged locust) in Ontario, Quebec, and British 

 Columbia ; Euxoa ochrogaster (red -backed cutworm), E. messoria 

 (ilark-sided cutworm) and Lycophotia margaritosa {Peridroma saucia) 

 (variegated cutworm) injuring vegetable crops in Ontario, Quebec, 

 Manitoba, Alberta, etc. ; Lachnosterna spp. (white grubs), destructive 

 in pasture land and in wheat crops in Ontario and Manitoba respec- 

 tively ; Cephus occidenlalis (western wheat-stem saw-fly) on wheat 

 and rye in Manitoba; Chortophila (Phorbia) brassicae (cabbage maggot) 

 on cabbage, cauUflower, radish and turnip in all parts of Canada ; 

 Hylemyia antiqua {P. ceparum) and Pegomyia fusciceps (onion and 

 seed-corn maggots) ; Phlydaenodes (Loxostege) stidicalis (sugar beet 

 webworm), injuring onions and carrots in Saskatchewan, and lucerne, 

 turnips, rape, cabbage, etc., in Manitoba ; Entomoscelis adonidis (red 

 turnip beetle), on radishes and ten-week stocks in Yukon Territory, 

 and on turnips, spinach and radishes in Alberta ; Papilio polyxenes 

 (celery caterpillar), on celery and parsley in Ottawa ; Acyrthosiphon 

 ( Macrosiphum) pisi, Kalt, (pea aphis), on peas in Ontario and Nova 

 Scotia ; Phytometra californica (alfalfa looper), on lucerne in British 

 Columbia, and on turnip, lettuce, onion and apple in Ottawa ; 



