Montana State Library 



umim 



3 0864 1004 0549""o 



MONTANA INSECT PESTS, 1 945 AND 1 946 



Thirty-first Report of the State Entomologist 



H. B. Mills, O. B. Hitchcock, Ralph Schmiedeskamp' 



INTRODUCTION 



The constant and often insidious attack of insects on products 

 which man desires and attempts to cultivate are so commonplace 

 that they are accepted as a normal toll by most people most of the 

 time. Different observers, using different methods of computation, 

 have arrived at an estimate of 10 per cent as the usual expected 

 loss, and often attempts at control are not employed unless obvious- 

 losses are considerably in excess of this figure. 



The citizens of Montana, along with all others in the country, 

 must pay this tax, whether or not they do it consciously. It is a func- 

 tion of the State Entomologist's office to assist in reducing these 

 losses by supervising, demonstrating, or otherwise assuming lead- 

 ership in insect control work. 



Much of the damage caused by insects could be prevented by 

 proper application of control measures at the right time. To make 

 operations of this type effective, farm and ranch operators must 

 obtain equipment to do the work quickly and efficiently, and they 

 must also keep themselves informed as to the recommended prac- 

 tices. 



Good operators spend large sums of money for equipment and 

 materials and devote much time in discovering how to improve 

 soil fertiUty, breed better livestock, and generally develop their 

 land and crops. 



In many cases, however, they have considered attacks by in- 

 sects in the same category with weather, and therefore something 

 that they could do little about. This attitude is erroneous, because 

 at the present time satisfactory control measures have been worked 

 out for most of the insects that cause heavy losses. New insecticides 

 have been discovered that are more effective and easier to use than 

 the old ones; new types of equipment have been invented, and im" 

 provements on insect-control equipment have been made. The costs 

 of material and equipment for insect control are not excessive in 

 comparison to the savings that can be made. 



It is realized that much of the insect control work will come at 

 a time when farmers and ranchers are extremely busy, but they do 

 not neglect other farm practices and should not neglect insect con- 

 trol. 



'State Entomologist. Assistant State Entomologist, and State Apiarist, respectively. 



