16 BULLETIN 808, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



HOST PLANTS. 



This species has been bred in confinement since 1909 and numerous 

 attempts have been made to rear it on hosts other than timothy, with 

 negative results. 



LIFE HISTORY. 



Larvae remain in old stubble and in volunteer growth in waste 

 places throughout the summer and winter, pupating in spring. The 

 adults emerge in May. Males normally occur. The egg is shown in 

 figure 7 at c. 



THE ORCHARD GRASS STRAW-WORM.i 



The orchard grass straw-worm was recently described by the 

 writer and Mr. W. T. Emery (10, p. 446). It was found first in 1904 

 by F. M. Webster, according to Bureau records. Since that time it 

 has been collected by various members of the branch of Cereal and 

 Forage Insect Investigations. The writer has been rearing it in con- 

 finement since 1914. It has been reared from orchard grass collected 

 in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Mary- 

 land, Virginia, Tennessee, and Utah. 



MANNER OF INJURY. 



H. dactylicola affects the plant in the same manner as does albo- 

 TThaculata. The writer -has never found orchard grass as seriously 

 affected as timothy, one reason probably being that it is not grown 

 as generally. Orchard grass probably will not be as seriously in- 

 jured by dactylicola as timothy is by albomaculata since the former 

 plant is larger and more woody than timothy. 



HOST PLANTS. 



This species has not been reared from any host other than orchard 

 grass. 



LIFE HISTORY, 



Larvae remain in the old stubble and in old volunteer plants 

 throughout the summer and winter, pupate in the spring, and emerge 

 as adults in May. Males normally occur. 



THE BLUE-GRASS JOINTWORM.2 



Howard (8, p. 13) first described the blue-grass jointworm in 1896 

 from specimens captured by F. M. Webster in a rye field in 1885 at 

 Normal, 111. Webster later swept it from timothy and blue-grass 

 at La Fayette, Ind. (14; 8, p. 13). Lintner (9) states that he 

 reared a number of specimens of this jointworm from galls in wheat 



1 Harmolita dactylicola Phillips & Emery. 

 ^ EarmoUta capti/oa Howard. 



