828 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Household insects (nos. 84-99). The species represented in this 

 group are but 16 in number, yet many a housewife would prefer 

 to fight two or three less prolific pests, rather than any one of 

 several which may be named in the list. Recent investigations 

 have shown that not only is the common house fly a nuisance 

 about the house, but also that it is a menace to the good health 

 of the community. A reduction of its numbers is compara- 

 tively easy. The cheese skipper, noticed in detail in the 12th 

 report of the state entomologist, is of much interest to cheese 

 makers. The croton bug, cockroach, carpet beetles, clothes 

 moths and other familiar pests in the home have been treated 

 briefly by the state entomologist in the transactions of the New 

 York state agricultural society for 1899. 



Insects affecting stored food products (nos. 100-8). This small 

 group, comprising but nine species, includes some very injuri- 

 ous forms. The most important are, the grain moth (a species 

 which has caused considerable injury to wheat on Long Island 

 and adjacent localities last year and this), the bean weevils and 

 the cigarette beetle. Most of these insects breed readily in 

 various dried food products and not infrequently they are 

 sources of annoyance in the house. Most of these species have 

 been briefly treated in bulletin 37 of the New York state 

 museum. 



Beneficial insects (nos. 109-63). This is an exceedingly import- 

 ant group which is represented in the collection by 55 different 

 species. A series of forms which carry pollen from one plant to 

 another is shown in order to emphasize this function of 

 insects. It may well be considered as one of the most 

 important exercised by them. A few of the many beneficial 

 parasites and predaceous enemies of insects are included, so 

 that the farmer and others may have some idea of the appear- 

 ance of beneficial forms. The mulberry silkworm and some of 

 its allies comprise the portion of this group devoted to species 

 of direct value or benefit to man. 



Scale insects, Coccidae (nos. 164-202). This exceedingly 

 important group differs so widely from all other insects that its 



