UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



j&?'^j-u 



BULLETIN No. 251 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 





Washington, D. C. 



July 27, 1915. 



THE CALOSOMA BEETLE (CALOSOMA SYCO- 

 PHANTA) IN NEW ENGLAND. 



By A. F. Burgess. In Charge of Gipsy Moth and Brown-Tail Moth Investigations, 

 and C. W. CoixfNs, Entomological Assistant. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Method of packing beetles for ship- 

 ment 2 



Native home of Calosoma syco- 

 phanta and hosts attached 3 



Investigational work on Calosoma 



sycophanta 3 



Equipment used for rearing preda- 



ceous beetles 4 



Methods of rearing Calosoma beetle- 6 



Life history of Calosoma sycophanta- 7 



Natural enemies 18 



Colonization of Calosoma sycophanta- 19 

 Methods of securing data from field 



colonies 20 



Dispersion of Calosoma sycophanta- 21 

 Economic importance of Calosoma 



sycophanta 39 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the spring of 1905 an arrangement was made by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture to cooperate with the State of 

 Massachusetts in importing and establishing the natural enemies of 

 the gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth. Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief 

 of tin- Bureau of Entomology, supervised the work, and until Decem- 

 ber 1. 1911, this arrangement remained in force, the project being 

 financed jointly by the Bureau of Entomology and the State of 

 Massachusetts. Since L912, owing to the fact that the scope of the 

 work- involved nearly all of the New England States, these projects 

 have been carried on solely by the Bureau of Entomology. 



One of the natural enemies of the gipsy moth, which has long 



been known in Europe as of prime importance, is a green beetle be- 



Note. The writers wish it, acknowledge their obligation to the members of the staff 



:il the Qipsy Moth Laboratorj for Securing data and carrying on many of the experiments 



wtii'-h are only briefly alluded i" in this publication. There is hardly ■■< man who lias been 

 connected with tin laboratory for the past seven years who has not assisted id a greater 

 or leM extent in obtaining Information and securing some of the results already men 



tloned So many have assisted In this work thai it Is Impossible to name each individual. 



i to express their appreciation in ail those who have taken part in the 

 012 Bull. 251 -15 1 



