PREFACE. 



The present publication comprises ten articles previously pub- 

 lished separately as parts and now brought together to form the 

 complete bulletin, which is Xo. IX of the series entitled •Some 

 Miscellaneous Results of the Work of the Bureau of Entomology." 

 The previous bulletins of this series are Nos. 7, 10, 18, 22, 30, 38, 44, 

 and 54. The articles of the present bulletin relate to species which, 

 although economically important, do not properly come under the 

 scope of any of the other bulletins thus far published in parts, viz, 

 those relating to forest insects, the cotton boll weevil and related 

 and associated insects, truck-crop insects, deciduous fruit insects, 

 cereal and forage insects, and apiculture. The investigations the 

 results of which are here published were, however, conducted coin- 

 cidently with the various projects of several branches of the Bureau, 

 including those dealing with some of the groups of insects men- 

 tioned above. 



The first paper treats of the Mexican conchuela, a species inves- 

 tigated in Mexico in 1904, at which time it had not yet been reported 

 to entomologists as of economic importance in the United States. 

 It was predicted at that time that should the pest become abundant 

 in Texas it would cause considerable damage to crops. The results 

 of investigations in Texas in 1905 confirmed the prophecies of 1904. 



Part II presents economic notes on three common species of sow- 

 bugs encountered during field-crop investigations in Texas and other 

 parts of the South, while Part III, by F. C. Pratt, treats of the 

 biologies of the various biting flies belonging to the genus Ceratopogon, 

 known commonly as "punkies." 



Part IV treats of a small weevil (Aj)ion griseum Sm.) injurious to 

 beans in Texas and New Mexico and includes biologic notes on a 

 number of related forms. 



Part V considers a number of the more important insects which 

 feed upon the loco weeds. This investigation was undertaken in 

 cooperation with the loco-weed investigations o\' the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, and as it was conclusively shown that insects of 

 several species were largely responsible for control o( the plant on 

 prairies and grass lands a publication covering these insects was 

 deemed desirable. 



