ECONOMIC INSECTS OF THE YEAR IN OHIO. 73 



Contrary to expectations, the elm leaf-beetle {Galerucella luteola 

 Miill.) has not increased to an alarming extent during the present 

 year and is known in only one locality of the State, viz, the city of 

 Dayton. During the early summer many larva^ were present in 

 localities that were badly infested the previous year, and many trees 

 were defoliated. Large numbers of eggs were laid in July, but many 

 of them failed to hatch. The weather after the middle of July Avas 

 very dry and many larvae of the second brood disappeared after molt- 

 ing once. An examination made in several sections of the city indi- 

 cated that many of these larva? died immediately after molting, and 

 in such cases the trees w'ere covered with fine dust, and the air was 

 full of it. The only explanation for the general mortality of larva^ 

 seemed to be that the dust had acted as a contact insecticide, thus 

 effectually checking the increase of the pest. Some spraying was 

 done during the summer, and this was, as a rule, effective. 



The catalpa sphinx {Ceratomia catalpce Bd.), an insect wdiich has 

 not previously been reported in Ohio," was sent in from the southern 

 part of the State this summer by Mr. G. A. Runner. A few large 

 trees near Proctorville were almost stripped of foliage, and trees 

 near Huntington, on the West Virginia side of the river, were 

 seriously injured. On July 29 a new crop of leaves had been de- 

 veloped, and newly hatched larvae of the second brood were feeding, 

 upon them. Many pupa^ were found about 1 inches beloAv the sur- 

 face of the soil beneath the trees. 



An investigation of the condition of catalpa trees in the city of 

 Jackson, where they have been planted extensively along the streets, 

 showed that this insect was present in large numbers and had been 

 numerous for several years. Many owners were dissatisfied with 

 the trees on this account, and some were cutting them. Quite ex- 

 tensive parasitism had appeared in Jackson, the species responsible 

 for it being Apanteles catalpa' Riley, but large numbers of hyper- 

 parasites {Hy popteromalus tabacum Fitch and a few specimens of 

 HovismemiH microgastri Ashm.) were bred from larva?. The rec- 

 ord of the parasites reared from infested larva? shows that they 

 were outnumbered 4 to 1 by the hyperparasites ; hence it was appar- 

 ent that only a moderate amount of good was done in holding the 

 sphinx larva^ in check. 



Later in the season Mr. Runner observed the same species in 

 Athens, Vinton, Meigs, and Gallia counties, all of these being located 

 in the southeastern section of the State. He also found a small 



a Prof. F. M. Webster informs me that he found this insect on catalpa trees 

 in Lawrence County about the year 1896. The only published reference I 

 have been able to find concerning it is a note that it occurs in "extreme south- 

 ern Lawrence County, in Ohio," which he published in the Proceedings of the 

 Indiana Academy of Science, in 1902, p. 100. 



