Proceedings, 1921. 117 



were enabled to obtain the poison-bran bait for distribution from the Wash- 

 ington authorities, with the result that this outbreak is, we believe, definitely 

 checked. The next report was from Celista, on the Shuswap Lake. In 

 this locality there was a clearing in the bush of 400 acres, and a large swarm 

 of Melanoplus atlanis had been devouring everything that the settlers 

 ])lanted during the last three years. This year they were again bad, and 

 when I visited the clearing in the middle of August I found that they had 

 made a clear sweep of the vegetation in the clearing and were moving off 

 into the bush on all sides in dense swarms. The third outbreak was 

 reported fr(_im the Fraser \'alley, between Huntingdon and Clayburn, where 

 Melanoplus femur-rubrum was numerous and was doing some damage to 

 grain and truck crops. The last report was from the Chilcotin District 

 at a point situated 150 miles north of Ashcroft. I was not able to visit 

 this point until the frost had killed all the grasshoppers, but from the 

 remains found I do not think that there is any doubt that Camnula 

 pellucida was the species causing tlie damage. In this district the ranges 

 had been eaten bare by the grasshoppers over an area of several hundred 

 square miles, and was by far the most serious outbreak that has occurred 

 in British Columbia for some years." 



Control ]\Ieasures. 



Introduction. — There are several methods employed in controlling 

 locusts which vary according to the stage the locusts have reached when 

 the control is to be started. In some cases the eggs may be destroyed by 

 ploughing the breeding-grounds in the fall, and thus exposing the eggs to 

 the frost and enemies, such as birds, mice, etc. The eggs that are turned 

 under by the plough will probably be buried deep enough to prevent the 

 hoppers from reaching the surface in the spring when they hatch. This 

 method is most often successful with the pellucid locust (Camnula 

 pellucida), as this species lays its eggs in concentrated areas. With other 

 species this method is often impossible owing to the fact that the eggs are 

 laid in an irregular manner over a large area, and not collected together 

 in certain definite breeding-grounds. In this case other methods have to 

 be relied upon, such as poisoning the young adults or by the use of hopper- 

 dozers and other hopper-catching machines. In the United States, where 

 locust-control has been carried on for many years, a number of poison- 

 bait formulas have been tried out with varying results. 



Baits. — From the experiments conducted in Canada it has been found 

 that up to the present time the most successful formula is the Kansas 

 formula, though in some localities where considerable moisture exists in 

 the air during the day, and the bait does not dry out too rapidly, the 

 Criddle mixture has proved equally efficient and less expensive. 



The Kansas formula consists of : Bran, 20 lb. ; Paris green, i lb. ; 

 molasses, 2 quarts; oranges or lemons, 3 fruits; water, 3^/ gallons. 



The Criddle mixture is made by mixing: Horse-manure, 60 parts; 

 Paris green, i part ; salt, 2 parts. 



