24 BULLETIN 539, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 



According to observations, the lesser corn stalk-borer apparently 

 suffers very little from natural enemies. This condition is undoubt- 

 edly a result of the excellent protection afforded the larvae at all 

 tunes, both while feeding in their burrows and while resting in then* 

 tubes. One parasite, a hymenopteron, determined as Neopristomerus 

 sp., has been reared in the laboratory at Columbia, S. C. This para- 

 site emerged September 1, 1914, from a larva collected at Colum- 

 bia, S. C. 



Another paiasite was reared by R. N. Wilson at Gainesville, Fla. ; 

 September 11, 1916, which was determined by Mr. A. B. Gahan as 

 Orgilus laeviventris Cress. Mr. Gahan believes it probable that the 

 parasite of Elasmopalpus lignosellus recorded by Chittenden (18) as 

 Orgilus mellipes Say was in reality laeviventris. 



METHODS OF CONTROL. 



The ravages of this insect can be reduced markedly if not entirely 

 controlled by progressive methods of farming. Infested fields should 

 be plowed very late in fall or early winter, after they have been freed 

 from all remnants and waste material. The borders and terraces of 

 the field should be gone over with a harrow to stir up the ground. 

 This breaks up the winter quarters of pupae and causes them to 

 perish. 



The practice of cleaning up and working these waste places is not 

 only an excellent one for the eradication of this species but also 

 contributes to the destruction of many other noxious insects that 

 chance to be hibernating therein; and as usually very little attention 

 is given to the practice of clean cultural methods and the cleaning up 

 of such waste ralaces, the importance of such methods can not be 

 overemphasized. 



In regions where this insect remains more or less active throughout 

 the winter, it is advisable to plow out and destroy the infested stubble 

 in case of corn, sorghum, etc. In all other cases fall plowing and 

 thorough working of the ground are to be recommended. 



It is also of great importance that the sandy areas of the fields be 

 made as rich as possible. A thorough application of fertilizer should 

 be made in order to stimulate plant growth and make the plants 

 more resistant to the attacks of this insect. 



Where it is necessary to plant corn, sorghum, and allied crops in 

 fields subject to infestation, it is advisable to make such plantings as 

 early in the season as possible, thus enabling the plants to get a 

 good start before the insect begins its depredations. 



