66 



THE REPORT OF THE 



No. 36 



Chafers Poisonous to Chickens. Chittenden and Quaintance in Farmer's 

 Bulletin No. 721, U.S.D.A., state that cases have been reported of hundreds of 

 chickens being killed by eating rose chafers. They refer to experiments conducted 

 by Lamson, which indicate that the body of the rose chafer contains a neuro- 

 toxin, probably derived from the plants on which it feeds, and that this poison 

 affects the hearts of small animals such as chickens. Last June we received a 

 report from Oakville to the effect that a large number of chickens had died as 

 a result of eating chafers. On investigating this, we found that considerably 

 over 100 range chickens from five to six weeks old had been killed. In a post- 

 mortem examination, 68 chafers were found in one chicken, and 32 in another. 

 Only one chicken older than six weeks died, and it was about four months old. 

 According to the owner of the flock, hens and young turkeys refused to eat the 

 beetles. 



A. Grape blossom cluster destroyed by rose 

 chafers. B. Normal blossom cluster. 



LIFE HISTORY 



The Adult 



The adult is an ungainly, somewhat slender, long-legged beetle about 

 3-8 inch long. The wing covers are reddish-brown, the head, thorax and ventral 

 surface are blackish in colour; and the whole body is densely covered with small 

 yellowish hairs, which make the beetle look as if it were fawn-coloured. 



Emergence. In 1921 the beetles were first noticed at Fenwick on June 

 2nd. This year they commenced to emerge from the soil on June 4th, five days 

 before Concord grape blossomed; they continued to emerge for almost two weeks, 

 and by mid-June they were present in immense numbers. After emerging, and 

 before invading the graperies and gardens, the beetles generally clung for some- 

 time to the grass and weeds growing near the place of emergence, hence it was 

 no uncommon sight to see the grass and weeds in a neglected field literally alive 

 with chafers. 



Habits. The beetles are very voracious — they feed and keep on feeding 

 and do not even allow mating to interfere with their feeding. As mentioned 

 before they show a decided preference for the blossoms when these are present. 



