REPORT OF CRANBERRY SUBSTATION FOR 1914, 105 



The spanworm {Epelis trimcataria var. faxonii Minot), discussed in last 

 year's report (pages 50 and 51), was found to have seriously damaged a 

 bog in Wareham. Growers of large and long experience in the vicinity, 

 when shown these worms, expressed the opinion that this species was the 

 one which used to be so commonly and widely injurious on the Cape bogs. 

 If they w^re correct in this, as seems most probable, the name "Cranberry 

 Spanwonii," given by Dr. J. B. Smith to Cleora pampinaria Gn., is more 

 deserved by this species. Caterpillars of this insect were collected on the 

 infested Wareham bog on July 23, 1913. By August 8 many of these 

 worms had pupated, and many pupae of an Ichneumonid parasite were 

 also found, from 25 to 30 per cent, of the worms ajoparently having been 

 infested with it. The adult parasites emerged from their pupa cases on 

 dates ranging from June 12 to June 27, 1914. They proved to be a dark- 

 colored species of Campoplex, with a broad reddish band about the ab- 

 domen. This parasite is new to science, and its full description will soon 

 be published by the writer elsewhere. ^ 



The infested Wareham bog was visited again on May 28, 1914, and 

 live pupae of the spanworm were found under the vines in large numbers. 

 The bog had been winter flowed in Decem]:)er, and the water had been let 

 off on May 10, the pupae thus having survived a five months' sul^mergence. 

 This confirms the observations in connection with this insect on the 

 Yarmouth bog, where the entireh^ naked (that is, without any cocoon) 

 pupae endured flooding for more than four months with but a small per- 

 centage of mortality. No moths of this insect were observed on the 

 Wareham bog on May 28. 



The "tip worm," the "flowed-bog fireworm" ("black head cranberry 

 wonn") and the "fruit worm" are of such importance and so constantly 

 troublesome that our investigations with them deserve special and de- 

 tailed consideration. 



The Cranberry Tip Worm {Cecidomyia oxycoccana Johnson). 

 In 1911, a serious dying of the tips took place on the station bog soon 

 after the vines went out of bloom. E\adently largely as a result of this, 

 the bog did not bud up well for the following season, and the small crop 

 of 1912 (less than 200 barrels) was the result. Until this year the writer 

 thought this tip trouble was secondary to some injury to the root system, 

 caused, perhaps, by mismanagement in the use of water during the grow- 

 ing season. This idea seemed to be substantiated by the fact that dry 

 bogs (without winter flowage) near the station bog showed l)ut little of 

 the tip injury in 1911. The station bog was resanded in the fall of 1911, 

 and the winter flowage was held late (until the 17th of May) the following 

 spring. In 1912, little of the injury occurred on the bog, the bud forma- 

 tion for the following season being almost perfect and resulting in the 

 splendid crop obtained in 1913. In 1913, the injury was again consider- 

 able, though the bud development was fairly good, and the 1914 crop 



1 Entomological News, XXVI, 1915. {Campoplex variabilis n. sp.)- 



