MONTANA r:XI'KKIMKNT STATION. 139 



MEANS BY WHICH THE CROWN GIRDLER SPREADS. 



It is a remarkable fact ihat tluni!:;!! this insect possesses no wings 

 and cannot fly, it is capable of widely distributng itself as is shown 

 by the records of its occurrence. It is a slow walker, practically 

 fpeakiiii^'. and is (k'])tn(k-nt npon outside means for its distribution. 

 A'ery likely it has been tlisLributed to some extent on strawberry 

 plants sent for planting new fields. Its desire to avoid light would 

 naturally lead it to retreat not only into houses, as has been record- 

 ed, but also into barns and other buildings as well as boxes, farm 

 machinery, and any other objects whatsoever that offer desirable 

 places of retreat. In any such objects that become articles of com- 

 Tiierce or are removed from one place to another for any purpose, such 

 as household goods, etc. carried by persons moving from one place to 

 another, the beetles are liable to be taken into a new locality, and 

 nee in the new locality, being adapted to a large number 

 •jf wild-growing and cultivated plants, they stand a fair chance of 

 becoming established. 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 

 We have observed no parasitic enemies of this beetle anrl I'rofes- 

 -•"•r \\'ee(l l)red none though he confined many of the insects for the 

 purpose. Mrs. Williams reported to me that the domestic fov/ls 

 followed the plough in the spring ravenously eating t'lc erniy stag-^s^ 

 which because of their white color, were conspicious objects. Mr. 

 Weed reported that he found the predaceous lar\ at. ot Carabid or 

 .ground beetles in the earth around the roots of strawberries that 

 were attacked by the girdler larvae. 



REMEDIES. 



The two general methods of restraining thi? ]>est that sitggest 

 ■'K.'mselves are the use of a poisonous spray an<'' 'he use of such 

 -ultural practices as interrupt the life cycle of the beetle. 



Mrs. Williams informed me that she had mad2 a llK^-rcugli test of 

 : he use of Paris green as a means of poisoning th.e adults on the 

 ^'oliage and had not been able to kill them. Kn )vvi:"i::; the general 

 characteristics of the beetles we were not surprised at the results 

 :ecnred in the test and decided not to make any further tests with 

 J'aris green. 



