ENTOMOLOGI CAL NEWS. 



Philadelphia, Pa., June, 1917. 



The National Defense Against and By Insects. 

 Following out the plan of co-operation proposed by the Na- 

 tional Bureau of Entomology to State, Station and other Ento- 

 mologists, as outHned in Dr. L. O. Howard's letter published- 

 in the News for May, (page 229), the Federal Bureau has is- 

 sued Number i of its reports of the "Emergency Entomologi- 

 cal Service," dated May i, 191 7, in mimeographed form. It 

 states that 



Very gratifying replies have been received to the various letters 

 which recently have been addressed to entomologists throughout the 

 country regarding the great importance of reducing as far as possible, 

 to meet the present emergency, the losses which are caused by insect 

 attack on the staple crops of the country. Sympathetic and hearty 

 co-operation has been promised by all entomologists of the country. 

 . . . . It is especially important that during May and June any 

 indications of insect outbreaks be reported promptly by entomologists 

 on account of their bearing on subsequent injury. 



Suggestions and reports from twenty State and Station En- 

 tomologists from New York to Florida and west to Montana 

 and California are included in this report, along with those 

 emanating from the Federal Bureau, from which we make 

 some quotations : 



The Hessian Fly situation throughout the main wheat belt at the 



present time appears to be reassuring Considerable infestation 



still exists throughout the southern part of Illinois and Indiana, in 

 Missouri, northern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas, but the situation 

 can not be considered acute .... in some of the central counties 

 of Kansas the loss from the Hessian fly this year will be very heavy. 



An extensive flight of May beetles .... is expected to occur 

 during the month of May throughout the northern portions of the 

 United States. The focus of this flight appears to be the State of 



Michigan This means a great infestation of grubs during the 



summer and early fall of 1918. 



It is very probable that heavy losses from [the chinch bug] may 

 occur during the coming season in the middle west. 



The corn leaf aphis is more than usually abundant in the South- 

 western States at present. 



Mr. R. S. Woglum reports that there is prospect of greater damage 

 than usual from the principal citrus scale insects in Southern Cali- 

 fornia. Many scale infested orchards were not fumigated last season, 

 owing to the lack of cyanide, which continues. 



Mealy bug damage in California is apparently on the increase. 



The high cost of materials entering into the composition of insecti- 



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