REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I918 9 



the fruit. It was this insect rather than the leaf roller which injured 

 most of the apples in many localities. 



Red bugs. Injuries by red bugs are becoming increasingly 

 abundant here and there in the State. Fruit growers suffer consider- 

 able losses from these pests and frequently secure only indifferent 

 results in control work due to variations in the time of hatching of 

 the bugs and the further fact that spraying, in order to give the best 

 results, must be done while the bugs are small and their work rela- 

 tively inconspicuous. 



San Jose scale. This serious pest of earlier years has attracted 

 comparatively little attention the past two seasons. Spraying with 

 lime sulphur wash at winter strength has uniformly resulted in satis- 

 factory control and in not a few localities there has been but little 

 breeding even in unsprayed orchards. The wet, cold weather of 

 early summer has probably had an important influence on the develop- 

 ment of this insect, and largely checked its breeding, though para- 

 sites doubtless have rendered material assistance in controlling the 

 scale. 



Pear thrips. This minute and destructive pest is sporadically 

 abundant here and there in the pear-growing sections, specially in 

 the Hudson valley, and despite the watchfulness of fruit growers 

 there is likely to be considerable loss before the seriousness of the 

 infestation is appreciated or the need of immediate action realized. 



Pear psylla. There have been some reports of injur}^ by pear 

 psylla though in many localities the insect has been only moderately 

 abundant and in not a few almost absent. The cool weather and 

 heavy rains have had a marked influence in preventing the pest 

 from multiplying greatly. 



Grass and grain pests. The cool weather and abundant rains of 

 last spring, as in 191 7, were unfavorable to the development of 

 sufficient grasshoppers to cause serious damage and in most sections 

 these insects were not unusually abundant though toward the end 

 of the season they were somewhat ntmierous in restricted localities. 



The white grub injury rendered probable by the abundance of 

 May and June beetles in 191 7 failed to develop in most localities. 

 There was material injury in restricted areas though this was hardly 

 comparable to that of 1 9 1 5 . Warning notices outlining probabilities 

 were issued in early spring and it is very probable that in many 

 localities the comparative freedom from damage was due to farmers 

 taking precautions and not planting crops liable to injury, such as 

 com and potatoes, on land where conditions favored an abundance 

 of white grubs. 



