REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I906 4I 



for fruit trees and is very annoying on account of the intense irrita- 

 tion produced by the urticating hairs of the caterpillar. The 

 placard was supplemented by a bulletin [N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 103] 

 giving more detailed information concerning these pests, with the 

 result that many specimens of various insects were sent to the office 

 for determination. The newspapers of the State cooperated most 

 efficiently in disseminating information relating to these dangerous 

 forms. It is gratifying to state that, so far as we have been able 

 to discover, there is no ground for believing that either the gipsy 

 moth or its destructive associate, the brown tail moth, has become 

 established anywhere in New York State, though it would not be 

 surprising were one or both of them to obtain a foothold in the near 

 future. It is very important that our citizens should know about 

 the gipsy moth in particular and be prepared to suppress the pest 

 upon its first appearance. 



Aquatic insects. The earlier investigations of this group have 

 been continued. Dr James G. Needham has an extensive mono- 

 graph on the stone flies (Plecoptera) nearly completed. This im- 

 portant work will prove an extremely valuable addition to our 

 knowledge of a hitherto much neg'lected group. Dr Cornelius 

 Betten, who has been giving special attention to the Caddis flies 

 (Trichoptera) for the past five years, continued his studies last 

 summer at Buffalo and Ogdensburg. These insects are an import- 

 ant element of fish food and, in addition, are of considerable local 

 importance in the city of Buffalo. They breed in such large num- 

 bers in the rapids of the Niagara river that each summer the adults 

 belonging to this group and the not distantly related May flies 

 (Ephemeridae) swarm by the millions in portions of the city near 

 the river front. The insects are so abundant as to prohibit out- 

 door painting during certain portions of the season. These flies 

 were one of the factors which led to the locating of the Pan-Ameri- 

 can Exposition some distance from their breeding places. Dr 

 Betten has given particular attention to this local phase of the 

 problem and he is now engaged in preparing an exhaustive account 

 of this very interesting and in some respects important group. 



Gall midges. These minute, inconspicuous insects, belonging 

 to a family comprising a large number of species have been sub- 

 jects of careful and extensive investigations by the Entomologist 

 and his assistants. Certain forms, like the Hessian fly and wheat 

 midge, are of prime economic importance. The former is well 

 known as an exceedingly destructive enemy of certain varieties of 



