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REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I9O9 97 



the jar was nearly covered with fine, white, globose particles, ap- 

 parently starch grains falling from the eaten kernels of corn, and 

 a thick mass of the brown larval skins and other debris. This 

 record is interesting since it shows how long an insect is capable 

 of subsisting under such adverse conditions. 



Shade tree pests 



Elm leaf beetle (Galerucella luteola Mull.). This 

 notorious shade tree pest continues to attract notice on ac- 

 count of the serious injuries inflicted upon elm trees, especially 

 the European species. A noteworthy feature has been, judging 

 from the reports and specimens, the unusual abundance of this 

 insect on Long Island. Reports accompanied by specimens 

 showing serious injury were received from Northport, St 

 James, Oakdale and Greenport. The pest was injurious in the 

 Hudson valley and w^ould have caused extensive defoliation in 

 Albany and Troy if it had not been for the systematic spray- 

 ing of most of the trees. This insect continues to be a pest in 

 Saratoga Springs and at Sandy Hill a number of trees have 

 been partially defoliated as a result of its work. Complaints of 

 injury were also received from Schenectady. Specimens of this 

 beetle were received from Amsterdam, a new though by no means 

 unexpected locality. This pest will probably continue to spread 

 through the Hudson valley and become a rather serious pest in 

 many cities and villages in western New York. It is already ranked 

 as one of the most dangerous shade tree pests in Ithaca on account 

 of the ravages of the past few years. 



Experience has repeatedly demonstrated the possibility of 

 keeping the foliage, even of European elms practically intact 

 throughout the season by thorough and timely spraying with 

 an arsenical poison. There is frequently difficulty in getting 

 the work executed in a proper manner. Altogether too often, 

 possibly through a mistaken notion of economy, the beginning 

 of operations is so greatly delayed in the spring that it is im- 

 possible to spray the trees satisfactorily within the time dur- 

 ing which such work can be done to advantage. The most ef- 

 fectual spraying for elm leaf beetle must be done between the 

 middle of May and the 25th of June. It is practically use- 

 less to apply poison after the grubs commence to forsake the 

 trees, unless the foliage has been so thoroughly skeletonized 

 that the majority of the leaves will drop and a now crop ap- 



