IOO THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



and therefore were not in a position to give advice. Letters were also 

 written to Dr. A. D. Hopkins of the Bureau of Entomology, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, Dr. E. Porter Felt, State Entomologist of 

 New York, and Dr. W. E. Britton, State Entomologist of Connecticut. 

 The replies from each were to the effect that this grub had not heretofore 

 been known to attack nursery trees, and that it would be a difficult thing 

 to find any remedial measures to eradicate, or even limit the damage done 

 by them. Soaking the ground with kerosene emulsion was suggested, but 

 this method would not only be very costly, but in order to kill or drive out 

 the grub the solution would have to be made so strong that it probably 

 would kill the transplants as well. 



Specimens of the grub were sent to Dr. Hopkins and to Dr. Felt for 

 identification, and both identified it as the larva of a species of Lachnosteena, 

 probably that of Lachnosteena fusca, which is the familiar May beetle or 

 " June bug." The identification was not positive, for entomologists are 

 not as yet sufficiently familiar with the larval characters of the beetles 

 belonging to this family to accurately determine the species when in the 

 larval stage. 



It may be well to give here a brief account of the life history of the May 

 beetle, so far as it is known, as this will explain some of the difficulties we 

 will have to contend with in our effort to combat it. 



Life History. 



Because of the hidden, subterranean life of the larva of this beetle, its 

 life history is very imperfectly known, particularly as to the length of time 

 required for the growth and development of a complete generation. Reliable 

 observations are almost wholly wanting. 



The adult insect, or beetle, is too well known to need any description, 

 for few people, if any, who have been in the country during May or June, 

 have not been annoyed by the large brown May beetle (or " June bug ") 

 flying into the room through the open window, buzzing about the walls 

 and butting into the lamp on the table. 



Soon after pairing in June or July the female creeps into the earth 

 and deposits her eggs one at a time to the number of forty to fifty, at depths 

 varying from one to six inches. Each egg is encased in a small pellet of 



