52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



There is still no authentic record of the gypsy moth having 

 become established in New York State. The pest has not made 

 its way nearer than the outlying small colonies known to exist 

 at Springfield and Greenfield, Mass. The Entomologist has 

 sent out a number of warning placards to places where these 

 insects would be most likely tO' become established and as yet 

 nothing suspicious has been discovered. 



Miscellaneous. The lar^e, steely blue insect known as Say's 

 blister beetle was unusually abundant in the vicinity of Albany 

 and occasioned some anxiety lest it prove a serious pest. There 

 was a restricted outbreak of the army worm at Oakdale. Con- 

 ditions were evidently rather favorable for more extended mis- 

 chief by this insect, since the Entomologist found the caterpillars at 

 Port Chester numerous though not very evident on account of 

 the large amount of provender upon which they could subsist. 



House fly. This insect, with its acknowledged potentiality for 

 evil, is one of the most momentous of our injurious species. 

 The present great interest in the house fly and methods for its 

 control led to the devising of a vivarium or special house for 

 the purpose of testing the behavior of this insect in relation to 

 light and in particular to ascertain whether darkness or partial 

 darkness could not be used as a barrier to keep this ubiquitous 

 creature from breeding materials of various kinds. The house 

 was a light-proof structure with partitions arranged in about the 

 same way as those in the photographer's dark room, and flies 

 were given a free opportunity to enter as far as they would 

 with a constantly decreasing illumination and deposit eggs upon 

 moist horse manure. The details of the experiments, given in the 

 full report of the State Entomologist, show that this insect will not 

 invade moderately dark places for the purpose of depositing eggs. 

 It should be comparatively easy and very practical to store all such 

 materials in dark or nearly dark places. 



Gall midges. The work upon this group has been pushed as 

 rapidly as possible consistent with the discharge of other duties. 

 We have been able to make material additions to our knowl- 

 edge of the biology of the group. This was particularly marked 

 in the case of Sackenomyia, originally described from a female 

 taken on the wing and now represented in addition by two 

 reared species, of which both sexes, larvae and galls are known. 

 The life his.tories of a number of species of Caryomyia, forms 

 responsible for the peculiar and varied hickory leaf midge galls, 



