[Ninth Report of the State Entomologist 353 



A resort to the favorite means for the reductiou of this pest, used 

 mauy years ago in Poland — " the paradise of fleas," — was recommended 

 for use in the present stage of the infestation, viz., setting a shallow 

 vessel of water (a film of kerosene might be floated on its surface) on 

 the floor, with a lighted candle standing in it. The fleas, attracted to 

 the light, would leap toward it, and be caught in the water and killed. 

 In Poland thev would often almost blacken the water with their bodies. 



White Grubs Injuring Nursery Stock. 



A firm of nurserymen and florists at Newark, N. Y., have suffered 

 severely from injuries from white grubs, as appears in the followirg- 

 letter, sent under date of June ISth, 1892: 



" We have been corresponding with Dr. Peter Collier, of the Experi- 

 ment Station at Geneva, N. Y., in regard to corn grubs. He has 

 suggested that you might be interested to know about them, and 

 might be able to recommend something that would help us to get rid 

 of them. Two years ago these grubs destroyed thousands of dollars- 

 worth of nursery stock for us; last year they did not trouble us much; 

 this year there appears to be millions of them, apparently about one 

 year old. We do not suppose they will do as much damage this season 

 as they will if let alone till another year, but, we wish, if possible to- 

 find some way of destroying them. Any suggestions that will help us- 

 in this matter will be thoroughly appreciated by us." 



Request was made for some of the grubs to see if they could be 

 identified. Upon their receipt, the following answer was returned: 



"The larvae kindly sent me on the 23d inst., are young white 

 grubs, apparently in the second year of their growth. Whether they 

 are those of the May-beetle, Lachno sterna fusca, or even of the genus- 

 of Lachnosterna, I am unable to say, as we can not identify with cer- 

 tainty, especially when young, any of the many different species of 

 that genus, of which nearly one hundred have been described in their 

 beetle stage [see remarks in 8th Rept. Insects of N. Y., page 175]. 



" White grubs of AllorJiina niticla, in experiments made in the 

 Capitol grounds at Washington, were killed by aj^plying freely to the 

 ground, kerosene emulsion of the dilution of one part to eighteen of 

 water (see Insect Life^ i, 1889, pages 48, 49), and afterward carrying it 

 into the soil by soaking it with water for several days in succession. 

 The grubs were among the grass roots at the depth of from two to four 

 inches when the emulsion was first applied, but were subsequently 

 found dead at various depths down to sixteen inches. The experiment 

 was very satisfactory. 



1898. 45 



