40 



crown borer; this issued October 5, 1905. This species has been 

 reared from several of the flour and meal moths '^ in this country. A 

 European species, Bracon hrevicornis Wesm., is, as stated by Dr. Chit- 

 tenden, quite probably a synonym of Say's species. It has been 

 reared from two species of Ephestia and from lepidopterous larvse in 

 Europe. The species has black antennae, head, and thorax ; abdomen 

 fuscous ; leg more or less pale yellow ; femora usually black at base ; 

 ovipositor of female black. 



SpUochalcis torvina (fig. 14) was bred from the crown borer, and 

 also from pupse of the unidentified tortricid before mentioned from 

 Chino, Cal., in early October. This dainty little chalcid is jet black, 

 with many pale markings, though usually there is a brownish-red 



shading from white into the black; 

 the abdomen is somewhat fuscous 

 on the side beneath. 



REMEDIES. 



Cultural remedies tending to 

 thoroughly disturb the soil at the 

 time the larvae are nearly mature 

 and destruction of the beets show- 

 ing injury will doubtless aid the 

 control of this pest. It will com- 

 plete the destruction of the injured 

 beet, since the larva? will in all 

 probability breed out even if the 

 beets are removed from the soil. 

 K more complete studj^ of the life histor}^ of the insect may show 

 opportunity for other remedies. 



THE DOCK FALSE-WORM. 



(Taxonus )ii(/riso),i(i Nort.) 

 By F. H. Chittenden and E. S. G. Titus. 



September 5 and 6, .1904, the junior writer observed larvae of this 

 species of tenthredinid at Menominee, Mich., attacking sugar beet 

 and a yellow dock (Rmnex jKitientia or hrittanicus) . 



The larvae were feeding on the upper sides of the leaves, usually 

 placing themselves parallel with the larger veins; often several 

 larvae were found feeding side by side, reminding one of colonies 

 of the grape social caterpillar {Harrisina [Procris^ americana Guer.). 

 From 6 to 20 larvae were counted on single leaves both of sugar 

 beet and dock, and as many as 70 were taken from a single j^lant. 



Fig. 14.- 



-SpUochalcis to7-inna — much en- 

 larged (original). 



a 1897, Chittenden, Bnl. 8, n. s., Div. Entom., Dept of Agric, pp. 39-41. 



