12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The recently established bayonet or post-horn pine borer, an 

 introduction from Europe, has come to our attention from, several 

 localities and bids fair to develop, unless kept under rigid control, 

 into a serious enemy of our native pines. 



Another pine twig borer, Dioryctria abietella Zinck., 

 has been found working in the buds of Austrian pine at Rochester. 

 It tunnels the young shoots and in some instances produces a deforma- 

 tion very similar to the species named above. 



Periodical cicada. A scattering infestation of this interesting 

 species was reported the past season from here and there in the 

 Hudson valley, indicating a somewhat general and sparse distribu- 

 tion in this region, of a brood almost unknown heretofore north 

 of the immediate vicinity of New York City. 



Flies and mosquitoes. Interest in the control of the house fly 

 and its associates has continued. The Entomologist has com- 

 plied with a number of requests for information in regard to these 

 insects and their control, a matter which has also received some 

 attention through the State Department of Health. 



The control of mosquitoes has been undertaken in cooperation 

 with several local improvem.ent associations, the most important 

 being that in conjunction with the Sodus Point Improvement Asso- 

 ciation. The conditions in this locality are somewhat unusual, 

 in that there are large areas of practically lake level swamps in the 

 immediate vicinity of a summer resort, consequent]y draining or 

 filling were out of the question, the former being impossible and the 

 latter impractical on account of the great expense involved. Another 

 peculiar feature was the occurrence of considerable areas of floating 

 or nearly floating cat-tails and, as subsequent investigations showed, 

 adapted to the breeding requirem.ents of the irritating m.osquito, a 

 species remarkable because the larvae depend for their air supply 

 upon that contained in the roots of various aquatic plants. The 

 Entomologist advised the employment of a reliable person to work 

 under his direction for the purpose of ascertaining the most im.por- 

 tant breeding places and their treatment with oil before there was 

 an opportunity for the wrigglers to mature. Incidentally it was 

 planned to m.ake observations upon the mosquito fauna of the 

 region for the reason that such exact biological data should be 

 made the basis of future work. The results were very satisfactory 

 from both the practical and scientific standpoint and are discussed 

 in som.e detail on the following pages. 



Gall midges. The past season has been marked by the discovery 

 of the Chrysanthemum midge, Diarthronomyia hypogaea 



