INSECT NOTES. 271 



weevil this season, however. The weevils were collected in 

 considerable numbers also near Houlton, June 28, 1907, about 

 the blossom buds of wild red raspberry. Some of the weevils 

 were inside the buds depositing eggs and others were observed 

 to be nibbling at the bud stem, causing the buds to wither, as 

 is their custom. 



The Rose Chafer, Macrodactylus subspinosus, continued to 

 be as troublesome this year as last. From Clinton it was 

 reported as destroying hens. Another correspondent sent speci- 

 ments of this beetle with the statement that out of a flock of 

 about 2000 chickens on free range nearly 400 had killed them- 

 selves in 5 days by stuffing themselves with these chafers. The 

 birds averaged from 12 to 13 weeks, and in some cases part of 

 the chafers with which their crops were packed were still alive 

 after the death of the greedy chicken. 



The Striped Cucumber Bettles, Diabrotica vittata, were so 

 numerous this season at Orono that cucumber and squash vines 

 suffered severe attacks. Lime, bug death, sulphur, red lead, 

 or ashes heaped thick upon the plants kept the bettles from the 

 upper surface of the leaves, but as they congregated cheerfully 

 underneath and ate through the leaves to the application on 

 the upper side, these remedies did not avail much. Turpentine 

 or kerosene and land plaster when applied about the plants in 

 sufficient amount to keep away the bettles, killed the plants. 

 This may have been partly due to the fact that a heavy rain 

 followed the treatment and beat the young plants down against 

 the application. One man practically rid his field by going 

 over his vines when they were very small and gathering and 

 killing the beetles by hand. The beetles were so thick that 

 thousands were readily killed in this way. After gathering the 

 beetles for 3 consecutive mornings, the infestation was reduced 

 to such an encouraging extent that the process was repeated 

 3 or 4 mornings more, when no further treatment was necessary. 

 This was, of course, a tedious method, but it disposed of the 

 beetles inside of a week, while a field a few miles distant where 

 nearly all the remedies which have ever been recommended 

 against this pest were tried on different plats, the beetles 

 remained in extremely troublesome numbers for between 3 

 and 4 weeks, during which time the adults had deposited so 

 many eggs that some of the vines wilted later in the season 



