46 



A rose aphid parasite (Epliedrus incomplettts) was found to be 

 quite effective in keeping the rose aphids in check in the rose house at 

 the experiment station. I found it on March 19, 1897, and when, 

 according to my request, the ordinary remedies of fumigation and the 

 application of tobacco dust was discontinued, it rapidly multiplied and 

 soon succeeded in keeping the aphids sufficiently reduced to prevent 

 injury to the plant. The aphids infested by the parasites change in 

 color to a deep black, instead of a brown, as is usually the case when 

 infested with parasites. The species was kindly determined for me by 

 Mr. Ashmead. 



The spruce gall mite (Chermes abietis) has been observed on 

 cultivated Norway and other spruces at Morgantown, and on the native 

 black spruce, both in the northern and southern sections of the spruce 

 area of the State. In some cases it had apparently caused the death of 

 small trees, and in the northern part of the State, near the Pennsyl- 

 vania line, it was reported as being very common and destructive in 

 the summers of 1890 and 1892. 



Cerambycid and buprestid beetles, breeding in seasoned 

 hickory. — One of the interesting results obtained from the insectary 

 described in my former paper is that relating to Cerambycid and 

 Buprestid beetles, developing broods three years in succession in one 

 lot of hickory placed in the breeding room in 1896. The material was 

 from trees cut twice a month and oftener during 1895. In 1896 a large 

 number of beetles and their parasites and predaceous enemies emerged 

 from the wood. In 1897 a larger number of the wood borers and fewer 

 of their enemies appeared, and again this year quite as many beetles 

 emerged as in 1896, but scarcely any parasitic or predaceous enemies 

 appeared. I supposed at first that the late arrivals were simply the 

 result of retarded development of the larva?, due to the seasoned con- 

 dition of the wood, but, upon an examination of the material, I found 

 that sections of the wood which were not infested when placed in the 

 house, had yielded quite as many, and in some cases more than those 

 that were. I made still further examination in August, 1898, and found 

 that the wood and bark were infested with young and quite active larva?. 

 The principal species which have emerged during the three years are 

 as follows: Cyllene picta, Xylotrechus colonics, Xeoclytus erythrocephalus, 

 and Crysobothris femorata. 



Lymexylon sericetjm. — On June 29, 1897, three females and one 

 male of this rare beetle were cut from a living chestnut tree near my 

 home. I have never collected this insect, except from its galleries in 

 the tree, and there appears to be only a few days in June of each year 

 that they can be had in this manner. This is about the time the first 

 chestnut flowers appear. While I have no additional data to that 

 mentioned in previous papers, I am convinced that the larva? of this 

 species live several years before changing to adults. This is evident 

 from the fact that when adults are found in the trees, all stages of 



