382 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. VIII, 
is shifting to the truer conception that economic entomology 
is the science treating of the methods of making money by the 
control of insects. The older entomologist devoted a great 
deal of time to life histories, parasites and predaceous insects. 
After really effective insecticides were discovered these so-called 
natural remedies were chiefly relegated to those injurious 
species not satisfactorily handled by real remedies and finally 
we are beginning to appreciate that even the knowledge of an 
effective way to kill an insect pest is not enough to bring it 
within the domains of a truly economic entomology, it 1s only 
those things we can do at a profit with which economic entomol- 
ogists are, or should be, concerned. 
ECONOMIC INSECTS 
California Praclice Text Books 
This changing attitude does not yet find full expression in 
our books and, I am convinced,:in our teaching. We are 
giving too much emphasis to minor matters. On the accom- 
panying chart are given the relative economic importance 
of insects in California as based on the best means we have 
at hand of measuring this relationship, that of the money 
expended in control work. We spend about a million dollars 
a year in this work in California, divided approximately as 
shown in the chart. Some items may have only a temporary 
status in the rank shown, such as the Citricola scale and T hrips, 
but in the main features this chart will probably represent 
the situation for years to come. Our books on economic 
entomology give about 5% of their attention to the nine 
insects that constitute 95% of the control work. 
