REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 39. 



NOTABLE INSECTS OF THE YEAR 1906. 



AN UNDETERMINED CUTWORM. Family Noctud^, Or- 

 der Lepidoptera. 



During October and November the office received several 

 notices of the occurrence of a pest in the winter wheat fields of 

 the "Flathead District," north of Bozeman. From specimens sent 

 in and brought in it was found that the trouble was due to cater- 

 pillars, commonly called cut worms, and belonging to the famly 

 Noctuidae. We were first informed of this pest through Mr. T. S. 

 Stiles, R. F. D. No. i, Belgrade, who, writing under date of Oct. 25th, 

 stated that the insect was doing a great deal of damage. From that 

 time on we had a number of complaints from others in that locality. 

 Much of our information we received through Mr. Flinner, who, on 

 November 30th, came to the College, bringing a box of specimens. 

 From his report also it is apparent that the caterpillars were very 

 numerous and had damaged more or less seriously many acres of 

 grain. Specimens were put in cages in the greenhouse and fed on 

 grasses and grains and they grew rapidly until about January ist, 

 when it was found that they were rapidly dying from an unknown 

 cause. Prof. Swingle was asked to make bacteriological cultures 

 from the bodies of the caterpillars, both living and dead, but no 

 report can yet be made on this subject. 



It is impossible to say to what extent this insect will be in- 

 jur-ious next spring, but there is some reason to fear that extensive 

 damage will be done unless the invaders are killed off during the 

 winter or early spring by natural conditions. It is to be expected 

 that all the caterpillars that survive the winter will resume feeding 

 in the spring, later transform to the moth stage and again deposit 

 eggs. 



