35§ REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



true of other localities. Many of the beetles are killed while hiding in damp places 

 by a fungus, Sporotrichum entomophilum Peck. The toad must devour large numbers 

 of the beetles if the following record be its normal habit. Pupils under the direc- 

 tion of Miss Clara Russell of the State Normal College, Albany, N. Y., observed one 

 toad eat 50 elm leaf beetles within an hour. Three beetles and a fly have been 

 recorded as attacking this pest. The spined soldier bug, Podisus spinostis Dallas, is a 

 very interesting species and it may frequently be found on infested trees with an 

 elm leaf beetle grub impaled on its extended beak. The peculiar young of the deli- 

 cate lace wing flies may often be seen in the vicinity of eggs or larvae of this pest, 

 thus giving rise to the suspicion that occasionally this elm destroyer suffers from 

 attack by these bloodthirsty creatures. The preying mantis, Stagmomantis Carolina 

 Linn., also feeds on this species in its southern range. 



Points of attack. The secret of controlling an insect frequently lies in a knowl- 

 edge of some vulnerable place in its life history. It is practically impossible to get 

 at the insect while it is hibernating but, if the leaves are thoroughly sprayed with 

 an arsenical poison early in the spring when the beetles begin to feed, many of them 

 will be poisoned. The disinclination of this insect to fly a great distance is encourag- 

 ing to the man who protects his own trees, since it reduces the liability of their fly- 

 ing from neglected trees near at hand. The local spread of this beetle is slow and 

 the most should be made of it by keeping the pest in check wherever it occurs, even 

 though the infestation be a small one and the injury at the time of little importance. 

 It is a mistake on the part of local authorities to wait till the creature becomes 

 destructive. It should be fought at the very beginning, even before it has secured 

 a fair foothold in a locality. 



The grubs feed almost exclusively on the under surface of the leaf, rarely occur- 

 ring on its upper side. The attack usually begins on the upper, more tender leaves, 

 hence the tops of the trees need spraying most and in order to kill the grubs, the 

 poison must be thrown on the under side of the leaves, and, as a rule, this treatment 

 will be found most satisfactory. The full grown larvse crawl down the trunks in 

 great numbers and the golden yellow pupse may be found in abundance in crevices 

 in the bark and on the ground about the trees. Large numbers of these insects can 

 be killed at this time by spraying them with a contact insecticide such as kerosene 

 emulsion, whale oil soap solution or by pouring boiling water on them. These pal- 

 liative measures are advisable only when others can not be carried out and in order 

 to secure the best results, the grubs and pupae should be destroyed every five days 

 so long as the pests are seen in numbers. Bands of tar, sticky fly paper, cotton bat- 

 ting, etc., while they do no harm, can not be considered as of much value in keeping 



