REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 1901 757 



July 2 and 5, 100 young mantids from an egg mass kept indoors. 

 The young were set at liberty in the vicinity. None of the egg 

 masses put out of doors developed any insects, Mr Darrison 

 states. Messrs Allen, Ambler, Beckwith, Huested, Morrell, 

 Roach, Schoonmaker, Stuart, Taber and Williams reported 

 negative results. J. T. Gaylord of Poughkeepsie was unable 

 to find any young mantids or to discover recently deposited egg 

 clusters; but E. H. Austin of Gaylordsville Ct., to whom he 

 sent a few eggs, discovered several living mantids about an inch 

 or so in length. H. D. Lewis of Annandale found several fresh 

 egg clusters, some of them over 100 rods from where the eggs 

 were planted last spring. This insect should have become 

 established in Albany or its vicinity, but up to the time when 

 this report is submitted, nothing very encouraging has been 

 discovered. Apparently, quite a proportion of the egg clusters 

 failed to hatch, though a number of the young were obtained 

 in the office. 



Croton bug, Phyllodromia germanica Linn. An 

 excellent remedy for this household pest was reported on last 

 May by Mrs H. D. Crane, Montclair N. J., who found powdered 

 borax to be the best of a number of substances tried. She 

 states that it must be used freely all around the cracks and 

 corners and so placed that the bugs can not get to water with- 

 out going over it. Her neighbors also had excellent success 

 with this substance. This insect is such a serious pest in some 

 houses that records like the above should be given wide circu- 

 lation for the encouragement of others. As noted in earlier 

 publications, Hooper's fatal food has also been used very suc- 

 cessfully. There are probably other equally good proprietary 

 remedies, but nonpoisonous ones should receive preference about 



houses. 



Unusual abundance of southern forms 



A study of climatic conditions is not without value, since it 

 gives a basis for forecasting the probability of insects being 

 able to live in various sections of the country. This is of con- 

 siderable importance in the case of injurious and beneficial 



