42 B.C. Entomological Society. 



the young orcUard trees. These trees seemed to have been planted about two years. 

 Every tree would have a dozen or more locusts busily eating ofE the foliage, and 

 even the yoiiug branches being stripped bare of leaves, petioles, and bark. Where 

 the wood was too hard to cut off we found that In many eases the bark of the trunk 

 had been girdled. I may say that it appeared that only on clean-cultivated orchards 

 was this extreme injury found to be the case. Where there was a crop between 

 the trees or where there were a few weeds along the roadside or by the fences, the 

 trees were more or less untouched. 



In the Spallumcheen country I found the locusts again very numerous, but 

 doing no great amount of harm to farm or garden crops, owing. I suppose, to there 

 being a goodly supply of their natural food. They had, however, denuded such 

 shrubs as the saskatoon, wild roses, willows, buck-brush, etc. 



The graziug-grounds in the vicinity of Nicola Lake were also severely attacked 

 and many thousands of acres were rendered useless. Our Secretary, Mr. Treherne, 

 made a special trip to the Nicola country to investigate the conditions of the out- 

 break. Possibly we may persuade him to tell us more of the exact conditions as 

 they appeared to him. I will, however, leave that to him, as the work was done 

 at the special request of the Dominion Entomologist in Ottawa, to whom the report 

 was forwarded. 



For the benefit of those of our members who may not be acquainted with the 

 life-habits of this family of insects, I shall describe briefly the life-history of these 

 creatures. 



The eggs are Jaid underneath the surface of the soil in an egg-pod in shape 

 something like a bent flask. Each of these pods contains from twenty-four to thirty- 

 six eggs. Each female in her lifetime usually deposits two of these, though some- 

 times three or four may be laid by the same female. The insects pass the winter 

 in the egg stage, and the young locusts hatch out in the spring. The period between 

 hatching and maturity is from eighty to ninety days, and the grasshopper passes 

 through several moults, usually four or five. Only after the last moult does the 

 young grasshopper get its fuU.wings. In aliout a week after reaching maturity the 

 adults pair and oviposition commences. 



The egg-masses during winter are largely pre.ved upon by the larvre of blister- 

 beetles, which devour the eggs readily. In connection with this, I may say that I 

 found several species of blister-beetles in different parts of the interior of British 

 Columbia during the past summer, notabl.v CantJiaris cyanipennis, which I found in 

 large numbers in the Similkameen country usually congregated on the wild vetch. 

 I found them both singly and in coiiula. They were also noticed in the Boundary 

 country on vetches and alfalfa. 



I mentioned in the beginning of this sketch that there were several circum- 

 stances which might have bearing on the present infestation and the reasons it 

 should have reached the dimensions it did, because, like many other insects, we 

 have the grasshoppers always with us, but not iu such overpowering numbers. 



The first reason I advance was the abnormally hot and dry season we have 

 experienced, even for the Dry Belt. This condition was mostr conducive to the 

 spread of these sun-loving dry-country insects. Second, the influx of settlers and 

 the consequent diminution of the natural food of the locusts. Thirdly too heavy 

 grazing on the range, or perhaps, more correctly stated, injudicious grazing on the 

 range, has done away with the food-plants and forced the locusts to places where 

 they could obtain the requisite amount of nutrition. 



Mr. Treherne : Mr. Wilson has correctly stated that I made a short stay in 

 the Nicola and Quilchena country investigating the outbreak of locusts that occurred 

 the past -summer. This was done at the request in the first place by the Forestry 

 Branch of the. Department of Lands, Victoria, and later by authorization from the 

 Division of Entomology in Ottawa. A full report of my trip was forwarded in the 

 usual manner to Ottawa, where a memorandum will no doubt be made out for the 



