REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 1901 741 



fact, such work may be very dear, because it may accomplish 

 practically nothing. The public need to appreciate the fact 

 that, unless spraying is thoroughly done, it is better not to 

 attempt any such work. 



European willow gall midge, Rhabdophaga salicis Schrk. 

 European willows are used to a considerable extent in and about 

 Rochester and other nursery centers for the purpose of binding 

 nursery stock into small bundles; and any attack made on plan- 

 tations of young willows is therefore of some economic import- 

 ance. Mr H. C. Peck called our attention in November 1898 to 

 some galled willows which he found in a small block owned by 

 T. 0. Wilson of Brighton N. Y. The insects live in the stems 

 of the willows, and by the production of their galls made them 

 brittle and unfit for tying purposes. 



Fig. 14 Venation of Rhabdophaga salicis, much enlarged (original) 



Repeated attempts were made to secure the identification of 

 this insect from European authorities but, owing to rough usage 

 and possibly inspections of mail matter, nothing more definite 

 than a generic reference could be obtained, till fresh galls were 

 sent in the spring of 1902 to Prof. J. J. Kieffer, the well known 

 authority on this group, who kindly determined the species. 

 These repeated failures rendered it advisable to characterize 

 the insect, and the following description was in type before the 

 determination was made and it is hoped that this study of a 

 member of the genus Rhabdophaga may prove of value 

 to those interested in this group. 



The extreme length of the adult female is about 3 mm. The 

 eyes are black, finely granulated, emarginate anteriorly, con- 

 fluent in the male and nearly so in the female. The antennae 



