REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



127 



insect caused a loss in the State of New York of $15,000,000. It has 

 been suggested not to sow wheat at all, for some time, wherever the in- 

 sect has been plentiful ; but Dr. Fitch thinks it is of no use to try to 

 starve the midge out by depriving it of wheat for a year or two, as it 

 would probably feed upon grasses, and return to its favorite food when 

 wheat was cultivated again. He likewise says that the flies or midge do 

 not thrive in a warm, dry atmosphere, and that hence we learn that if 

 the last half of June is unusually dry, the wheat escapes, but if wet and 

 showery it is likely- to suffer from the midge. Burning the stubble, as 

 in the case of the Hessian fly, is said not to affect this insect, as the 

 larva burrows beneath the earth to change into the pupa, but lime or 

 ashes plowed into the soil might be of utility. These insects multiply 

 with great rapidity, and it is said that as yet no parasite has been dis- 

 covered in this country to destroy or keep them in check, while several 

 exist in Europe, and many of our best entomologists have recommended 

 that these European parasites should be imported, at any expense, in 

 order to destroy the wheat-midge here. Boards smeared with some ad- 

 hesive substance have been recommended, and might no doubt catch 

 many of the flies, but would be almost useless in any large fields ; bon- 

 fires at night, also recommended, would doubtless attract numbers of 

 these insects and lure them to their destruction, especially if they were 

 disturbed by drawing a light cord over the heads of the grain at the 

 time the fires were burning. But until we find some parasitic fly, like 

 the European species, to aid us in their destruction, there is veiy little 

 hope of successfully battling with this little pest. In this country a 

 species of thrips {Orthoptera) is said to destroy the eggs or larvaj; a 

 coccineUa or lady-bird ( Ooleojyt^ra) feeds upon the larvae, and the yellow- 

 bird {Carduelis tristis) is said to feed upon them. In Europe they are 

 destroyed by several parasitic hymenoptera, viz, CalUmone, Macroglenes, 

 Flatygaster, &c. The earwig also destroys either the wheat-midge or 

 a thrips which frequents the wheat. The gooseberry-midge ( Gecidomyia 

 (Asplwndilia) grossularice) injures gooseberries by depositing its egg in the 

 fruit, and the larva, or gTub, being hatched, feeds inside, and causes the 

 gooseberry to present a prematurely ripe appearance, to turn red, and 

 then to drop from the bush. It is recommended to pick all fallen fruit 

 Fig. 12. • frotti the ground and burn it 



immediately, as, although this 

 proceeding may not be of any 

 use the same season, the ber- 

 ries being already destroyed, 

 the following year the horticul- 

 turist will experience the bene- 

 fit of having done so, as, the 

 last season's generation being 

 destroyed,there will be scarcely 

 any midges to attack his future 

 crops. When galls are formed 

 by the larvte of Cecidomyia or 

 Lasioptera upon trees or plants 

 on lawns, or planted out for 

 ornamental purposes, they can 

 be materially diminished by 

 cutting off and burning the part affected, as early as possible in spring, 

 so as to destroy the late generations ; this is especially the case with the 

 curled leaves of the locust, which are caused by the locust-gall gnat, 

 {Cecidomyia rohinice.) 



