REPORT OP COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION 187 



THE GRAPE ROOT WORM. 



By F. Z. HARTZELL, 

 Vineyard Laboratory, Fredonia, New York. 



The grape root-worm (Fidia viticida, Walsh) is a serious pest to grapes 

 in several of the important grape regions of the northeastern United States. 

 Although this insect has been known to science for more than forty years, 

 it has been found to be especially destructive only during the past twenty 

 years. The facts presented in this paper were observed at or near Fredonia, 

 New York, which is in the Lake Erie Valley and about in the geographical 

 center of the Chautauqua and Erie grape belt. This region extends from 

 Erie, Pennsylvania, to near the suburbs of Buffalo, New York (80 miles) and 

 ranges from three to ten miles in width. About 50,000 acres of Concord 

 grapes are grown in this locality. It, therefore, can not be expected that such 

 details as the time of emergence of adults, egg laying, hatching, etc., will be 

 exact for other portions of the country where this insect is found but where 

 temperature and humidity conditions differ from those normally occuring 

 where the investigations have been made. Inasmuch as the importance and 

 distribution of this pest will be presented at this meeting in another paper, 

 we will hasten to other phases of the insect. 



History. 



B. D. Walshi described this species and gave us the first account of its 

 injury. The insect has appeared in literature for nearly a century under 

 other names. The life history of the insect was first described by Prof. F. M. 

 Webster,2 who found it injuring grapes in Ohio. Additional facts regarding 

 its habits and methods of control were given by Prof. M. V. SHngerland'* of 

 Cornell University, and Dr. E. P. FelM State Entomologist of New York, 

 both of whom made a number of experiments in Chautauqua County. The 

 most recent and extensive work on the life history of the root-worm and the 

 methods for its control has been done at North East, Pennsylvania, by Fred 

 Johnson and A. G. Hammer.5 The insect has been mentioned in the writings 

 of many other entomologists, but the foregoing references to literature deal 

 with the more important contributions to the life history and methods of 

 control. 



i Walsh, B. D., Pract. Ent. 2:87-88. 1866. 



z Webster, F. M., Cine. Soc. Nat. Hist. 17:159-169. 1894. Ohio Agri. Exp. 

 Sta. Bui. No. 62. 1895. 



3 Slingerland, M. V., Cornell Agri. Exp. Sta. Bui. 184:21-32. 1900. Slin- 

 gerland, M. V., and Craig, J. Cornell Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 208. 1902. Slinger- 

 land, M. V., and Johnson, F., Cornell Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 224. 1904. 



4 Felt, E. P., N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 53. 1902. N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 59. 

 1902. N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 72. 1903. 



5 Johnson. F., and Hammar, A. G., U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Ent. Bui. 89. 

 1910. 



