204 



A Twig-girdler of Fig Trees. 



I send you a specimen of twij? gii-dler just received from a correspondent in New 

 Orleans. He says: * * * "It is playing sad havoc with our fig trees. Its mode 

 of attack seems to he confined to girdling the liranches, irrespective of size, and no 

 doubt it would undertake to girdle the trunk if chance had placed it there." On 

 referring to your description of Oncideres chujulatus, in your Horticultural Eeportof 

 1882, I find that it does not seem to fit this case. Please do me the favor to name 

 the specimen and the remedy or preventive for me in answering the inquirer 

 through the columns of the Cultivator.— [R. J. Redding, Georgia, April 21, 1891. 



Reply. — The insect is one of considerable interest, and judgiug from the pupa 

 alone it is probably the Cerambycid beetle Ptychodes 3-rittatns. We would strongly 

 urge that you request your correspondent to send a number of twigs, so that we may 

 breed the adult and make sure of the determination. The best remedy will be to 

 burn the infested twigs.— [April 28, 1891.] 



An old Enemy of the Colorado Potato Beetle. 



Under another cover I have inclosed a blue bug for inspection. For some days I 

 noticed the remains of young potato bugs, Avhich caused me to suspect there Avas 

 an enemy at work. After a few days' watching I saw a blue bug by the remains of 

 a potato bug recently killed, but before I had time to see whether it was at work or 

 not it quickly disappeared. On the 16th inst. I saw the inclosed bug by the side of 

 a potato bug, which was standing erect and in lively moticm. The bug ran at once, 

 but I succeeded iu capturing it and placing it in a glass jar, together with j^otato 

 vines and potato bugs. This morning I found some of the bugs dead and the blue one 

 engaged upon one of the remains. — [C. H. Taylor, South Dakota, June, 1891. 



Reply. — ^ » * 'Yhe specimen proves to be an old friend, Lehia (jrandis, one of 

 the Ground-beetles, which was discovered feeding upon the Colorado Potato Beetle 

 as long ago as 1868. We figured and mentioned this insect in our Third Report of the 

 Insects of Missouri, published in 1871, and it is also figured and described in our 

 small work on Potato Pests, published by the Judd Company. [June 23, 1891.] 



Do Ground-beetles destroy Peach-tree Borers ? 



I send by this mail some black beetles for name and habits. I do this at the re- 

 quest of one of my farm hands, who insists that wherever he finds them around the 

 peach trees he finds the borers dead, and it is his opinion that they are enemies to 

 the Peach-tree Borer. He says he has in quite a number of cases found the beetle 

 in the hole made by the borer and on following it up found it dead. Will you 

 kindly let me know whether the subjects before you have the valuable qualities 

 cited above. — [H. Swineford, Virginia, July 30, 1891. 



Reply. — The insects which you send are Scarites subtcrraneus and Harpalits penn- 

 sylvavicns, both Ground-beetles of predaceous habit, which, in all stages, feed upon 

 and destroy other insects. It is quite likely that your farm hand is correct iu his 

 statements, althougli we are not aware that either of these beetles has ever been 

 actually found preying upon the Peach-tree Borer. — [August 4, 1891.] 



Good Results from Spraying for Codling Moth. 



Please allow me to acknowledge my very great obligation to you for bringing to 

 my attention, through your official iniblicatious, the use of arsenical poisons for 

 destroying Codling Moth and other noxious insects. 



I have a fine young apple orchard of fifty acres, all Newtown Pippins, immediately 

 adjoining which on tfie north is an older and much neglected orchard belonging to 

 a neighbor. 



