Vol. XXvii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 179 



The Unusual Prevalence of Ground Beetles (Harpalus) During the 

 Summer of 1913, at Ashland, Ohio. (Col.). 



While in Ashland, Ohio, during the summer of 1913, the writer ob- 

 served that there was a rather unusual number of the common ground 

 beetles, mainly Harpalus pcnnsylvanicus and its near relatives, and a 

 few specimens of what appeared to be Diplochila major, to be found 

 under stones, bark, etc., in the surrounding country. Small stones 

 would frequently hide a dozen or more, often representing one insect 

 to every two square inches of ground covered by the stone. Unusual 

 frequency in the city of Ashland was not noted until about a week 

 after this observation; then one evening about the first of August, 

 swarms of the insects appeared around the arc-lamps in the business 

 part of the city, and during the following two evenings spread to the 

 other sections. The house at which the writer was staying was about 

 a quarter of a mile from a wooded patch of a few acres, and about 

 seventy-five feet from an arc-lamp, the latter being the last one out in 

 the direction of the woods. On the second evening of prevalence the 

 insects struck this section of the city, and the arc-lamp near the house 

 was the center of a swarm. The side of the house illuminated most 

 strongly by the arc had hundreds of the beetles running over it, and for 

 perhaps an hour the sound of them alighting on the walls, floor and 

 tin roof of the front porch was suggestive of rain or scattered hail. 

 Parties out for automobile rides were forced to return on account of 

 the inconvenience produced by the number of beetles flying about. The 

 writer attempted to walk up the road toward the wooded path (going 

 away from the arc-lamp), but the insects were encountered in such 

 numbers coming toward the arc, that after going only a 'few hundred 

 feet and extracting several beetles from his hair and collar, he decided 

 that discretion was the better part of valor, and returned to the house. 



After the third evening of unusual prevalence, the number of these 

 beetles seemed to diminish rather suddenly, and while quite common, 

 they did not appear in excessive numbers during the rest of the writ- 

 er's stay, to August 17th. It is reported that the insects were very 

 plentiful also in the Pittsburgh district about the same time. The only 

 unusual condition which seems to have prevailed in the places where 

 these swarms were noted, was the heavy rains and following floods in 

 March previous ; the Ohio district had also had a very heavy rain and 

 flood on the 13th of July, previous. That the flood conditions should 

 admit of an abnormal number of these insects coming to maturity does 

 not seem probable, or at least the connection is not very clear at thi.s 

 time. The writer was again in this town during about the same period 

 of 1915, but there was nothing resembling what had occurred during 

 1913, nor was there any report of similar conditions during 1914. The 

 summer season of 191 5 was very rainy in this locality. 



F. Alex. McDermott, Washington, D. C. 



