289 



weevil by this means. The only means of spreading the weevil is by 

 shipping lucerne hay or any product which has been in contact with it 

 between 15th July and the beginning of winter, though there is no 

 record in which such transportation of the weevil has occurred. Early 

 potatoes, which may be a source of danger in this respect, are so easily 

 handled that all risk may be ehminated. The restrictions placed on 

 the export from Utah into some or all of the States above mentioned 

 of nursery stock, fruit, vegetables, lucerne seed and live stock, are thus 

 imjustifiable and have caused serious financial loss. 



Bensel (Gr. E.). Control of the Variegated Cutworm in Ventura 

 County, California. — Jl. Econ. Entom., Concord, is, no. 2, April 

 1916, pp. 303-306, 3 plates. 



Lycophotia {Peridroma) margaritosa is widely distributed in Ventura 

 County. Serious outbreaks occurred in 1913 and 1914, when the 

 sugar-beet crop was completely destroyed in some districts. Feeding 

 was observed to take place at night and in the early morning and 

 activity was greatest during cool and foggy weather. The natural 

 enemies found were Calosoma semilaeve, Lee, C. cancellatum, Esch., 

 and the Ichneumonid parasite, Henicospilus purgatus, Say. Among 

 the artificial methods of control to which resort was made, the rolhng 

 of young beets was successful in some cases. If the plants were com- 

 pletely destroyed, it was found best to replant after three or four weeks. 

 A spray consisting of 2 lb. Paris green to 50 U.S. gals, water, with the 

 addition of 1 lb. molasses, was apphed two or three times at intervals 

 of four days. The voracity of the cutworms diminished considerably 

 after the second apphcation. The cost was about is. per acre for each 

 spray. The apphcation of dry Paris green by means of a special 

 arrangement on an ordinary horse cultivator was tested. By this 

 method the poison was somewhat unevenly distributed, but the extra 

 cultivation stimulated the plants to more rapid growth. The spray 

 was given in early morning. Cattle were fed with the tops of sprayed 

 beets during the summer without injurious effects being observed. 

 The author recommends that ditches, about 1^ feet deep, be dug 

 round adjoining fields, since under certain conditions the cutworms 

 may acquire the marching habit. Adults were trapped by means of 

 arc lamps of 3,000 candle power, at an approximate cost of Is. 3d. a 

 night. The lamps were placed in shallow pans about 4 feet in diameter 

 set on a platform 6 feet above the ground. The pans contained water 

 covered with oil. About 1,000 moths were captured in each pan on 

 warm, dark and still nights, 22 per cent, being gravid females. This 

 method of control caused a marked diminution in the numbers in the 

 affected districts. 



Back (E. A.) & Pemberton (C. E.). Parasitism among the Larvae of 

 the Mediterranean Fruit-Fly (C capitata) in Hawaii during 1915. — 



JL Econ. Entom., Concord, ix, no. 2, April 1916, pp. 306-311, 

 3 tables. 



The observations described in this paper form a continuation of the 

 work carried out in 1914 in connection Avith the percentage of para- 

 sitism among the larvae of Ceratitis capitata. [See this Review, Ser. A, 



