10 



MONTANA BULLETIN 200 



INSECT PESTS OF 1925 AND 1926 



BY 



W. Bbuoe Mabee, 



Extension Entomologist, 



Asst. Entomologist in the 



Experiment Station 



During the past biennium climatic and other conditions have been 

 such that the State has been unusually free from the usual insect out- 

 breaks. Outbreaks of cutworms and grasshoppers were very limited in 

 extent, the Mormon cricket being the only outbreak of major importance. 

 This insect during the past season doubled the area it formerly occupied, 

 now covering some 250,000 acres and causing damage amounting to over 

 $120,000. This situation is discussed more in detail elsewhere in this 

 paper. 



The correspondence of this department is continually growing, as is 

 illustrated by the accompanying maps, and it seems to be well known by 

 the people of the State that they can receive information and suggestions 

 on the control of insects from this department. 



During 1925, 72 different species of insects were sent in, while in 1926 

 there were 88 species received. 



The tables give the complete list of insects of 1925 and 1926, together 

 with the locality from which they were sent and the date the complaint 

 was made. 



ALFALFA 



Common Name 

 Alfalfa thrips 



it it 



Tarnished plant bug 

 Crane fly larvae 

 Black crickets 

 Army cutworms 

 Alfalfa nematode 

 Pea aphis 

 Blister beetles 



During the two years there were only nine complaints of insects injuring 

 alfalfa, four in 1925 and five in 1926, and none of these was of a very serious 

 nature. The most alarming were two reports of alfalfa weevil which upon investi- 

 gation proved to be some insects of comparatively little importance that were mis- 

 taken for the weevil. 



