APHID PESTS OF MAINE. 173 



down towards the ground, some of them at least, entering the 

 soil and feeding upon the sap of the roots. At any rate, I find 

 the apterous ones at this time working upon the roots, but at 

 the same time I find a winged individual above ground. I have 

 also observed them heretofore at the root of the wheat, late in 

 the winter, while snow was on the ground; and what somewhat 

 surprised me, I found them busy at work under the snow, and 

 the apterous females bearing well formed larvae. I am, there- 

 fore, led to believe that in this latitude the species passes the 

 winter in other than the egg state. This will also, probably,, be 

 found true wherever winter wheat is grown." 



Aphis maidis Fitch. A badly infested lot of blades were 

 sent to the Station from. Cumberland Mills, Maine, Sept. y, 

 1908, with the comment that the aphids were covering "every 

 stalk of Kaffir, Broom Corn and Sugar Cane. Very few on 

 other corn." This collection (75-08) comprised both apterous 

 and alate viviparous females and nymphs on Sugar Cane 

 {Saccharum officinarum) . 



A large collection (107-06) of this corn leaf aphis was made 

 at Orono from field corn (Zca Mays) Aug. 30, 1906. Con- 

 cerning this species Mr. Davis (Tech. Ser. No. 12, Part VIII, 

 Bur. of Ent. p. 140) states "Aphis maidis has always been con- 

 sidered more or less injurious to corn, sorghum, and broom 

 corn, although it seldom becomes seriously so. In some cases, 

 however, it injures the corn ears by sucking the sap' from the 

 silk and killing it, thus preventing fertilization of the kernels. 

 Only rarely, however, does it stunt the growth of the plant, at 

 least in Illinois, the reason probably being that in this State 

 the aphid does not commence its attacks upon the plant until 

 the last part of June or the first of July, at which time the 

 plant is strong enough to withstand the drain made upon its 

 sap supply by the aphis. This aphis sometimes does consider- 

 able injury to the quality of the brush of broom corn by dis- 

 coloring it, the discoloration being 'due to a bacterial affection 

 following upon the plant-louse punctures' (Forbes). 



"This aphis has a very wide distribution, being found in all 

 parts of the United States where corn is grown ; that is, from 

 Maine to California and Texas. Prof. F. M. Webster has 

 reported finding it on sorghum in Australia, where, he says, it 

 is sometimes quite obnoxious, and in a recent circular he says 

 that 'the insect is also known from Japan.' " 



