REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 10,1 7 53 



Suffolk county. There was serious injury to birch, maple and 

 elm in Suffolk county localities, though oak, mulberry, hickory, 

 locust and plum were only slightly damaged. June beetles were 

 variously reported as being somewhat numerous or extremely 

 abundant. 



Ulster county. The insects were very abundant for approximately 

 2 miles on either side of the mountains, due in all probability to 

 there being so much, waste grassland and forest areas. Oaks, elms 

 and birches were considerably eaten on the lower mountain areas, 

 while chestnut, basswood, pines and spruces were but slightly 

 damaged. 



Wayne county. The insects appear to have been moderately 

 numerous and no serious injury to trees was noted. 



Yates county. June beetles were plentiful or abundant, though 

 no particular area was seriously affected. 



Corn billbug (Sphenophorus sp.). A package of timothy 

 corms infested with grubs tentatively referred to this genus was 

 received under date of August 10th from F. H. Lacy, Dutchess 

 county agricultural agent, accompanied by a statement that pre- 

 sumably at least 10 per cent of one field was thus affected. 



The larvae are thick bodied, oval, footless grubs with hard, brown 

 or blackish heads, the first segment behind the head being leathery, 

 smooth and slightly tinged with brown. They occur most frequently 

 in the corms of timothy and in the thick root growths of common 

 reeds, club rushes, coarse sedges and swamp grasses found in 

 wet situations. These grubs occasionally cause serious injury to 

 timothy meadows, and corn planted on recently broken land may 

 be infested by these pests, insects which are much better known 

 in the southern and central states. Damage of this character is 

 rarely reported in New York State, presumably because conditions 

 are unfavorable for the breeding of these insects. 



Recently broken land should not be planted to crops liable to 

 injury, and this is particularly important in sections where there 

 has been more or less damage. Plowing in early fall has also been 

 found of some service and it is possible that considerable benefit 

 might accrue from burning over swamp and grasslands infested or 

 presumably infested with these pests. 



Wheat midge (Thecodiplosis mosellana Gehin) . The 

 work of this insect has been known for years, and about the middle 

 of the last century it was one of the very destructive wheat pests. 

 Conditions appear to have changed greatly since then and com- 



