466 



Correspondence from Indian Territory. 



Inclosed you will liud an Hemipterou, whicli conies out at night, and, like the bed- 

 bug, makes itself too familiar. It is not at all pleasant to have such a bed-fellow, 

 but he will come out regularly to get his fill of blood. He will suck himself so full 

 of blood that he can hardly navigate. What is his name, and is this a normal 

 habit? 



Do galls produced by gnats often appear in numbers sufficient to cause damage ? 

 There are two pecan trees in my yard and there is not a single leaf on them that is 

 not unshapely with those galls. 



Garden insects are scarce so far, but potato beetles are here, though not many so 

 far as I have seen. I send a beetle and an Orthopteron for identification. I found 

 about 200 of the crickets in a butt of a hollow tree.— [A. N. Caudell, Ringo, Indian 

 Territory, May 29, 1891. 



Reply. — * * * ^phe specimens which you sent came in good condition. The 

 bug whose bite you describe is the so-called Bloodsucking Cone-nose {Conorhinus 

 sanguisiKja). I shall be glad to have an account from you of your experience with 

 this insect, giving the exact facts. You will find it mentioned in Insect Life, vol. 

 II, p. 106, where a figure is also given. The Orthopterous insect found in the hollow 

 tree is Phalaiif/opsis capidicola and the beetle is known as Silplia novehoracensis. The 

 galls upon your pecan trees are not caused by ''gnats," but by some plant-louse of the 

 genus Fhylloxcra. They seldom do serious damage to the trees. — [June 8, 1891.] 



Notes on three Noxious Insects of Mississippi. 



Texas Screw-worm (Lucilia macellaria Fabr.;. The larva of this fly has been very 

 troublesome in this locality the past year. Have found them on horses, cattle, sheep, 

 and hogs, doing considerable damage. There has been one case reported where the 

 fly oviposited on a human being, a boy about eleven years old, while asleep. Chloro- 

 form and carbolic acid are the best remedies we have tried against them. There has 

 beena great deal of excitement about the worm in this county, this being its first 

 appearance to my knowledge since settling herein 1869. 



Ox Warble Fly (Hypodenna lovis DeGeer.). Have found them in great numbers on 

 the backs of cattle, especially work-oxen and milch-cows. Farmers generally apply 

 spirits of turpentine or kerosene to kill larva. They have been very troublesome the 

 past season in this locality. Have recommended to my neighbors an ointment made 

 of sulphur and lard, which closes the breathing pores of the maggot, causing it to die. 



Harlequin cabbage bug {Murgantia histrionica Hahn.) This has been the first sea- 

 sou that I have observed this bug in the gardens of this vicinit5\ They have been 

 very destructive to the entire cabbage family. I stopped their ravages by hand-pick- 

 ing several times. — [Geo. H. Kent, Roxie, Mississippi, February 7, 1891. 



Sure Way to Destroy Nests of Harvesting Ants. 



These insects, often so troublesome in gardens and stock-yards, may be destroyed 

 by the following method : Enlarge the entrance so that it will hold a teasnoonful of 

 London purple, repeat the dose after two days, and if necessary a third time. That 

 is all. I have killed fifty nests, most of them after the second dose, but do not for- 

 get to repeat the dose. I have tried cyanide of potassium, etc., in vain, at a much 

 greater expense and with much more trouble. — [F. G. S., Blanco County, Texas. 



Willow Hedges Injured by Saw-flies. 



* * * I send you some cuttings of willow containing larvjB. The same were 

 found in willf)w hedge serving purpose offence. Many of the shoots are affected, fully 

 10 per cent, I should Judge. Found some while pruning on the 18th instant. Do 

 yon know anything about the insect? — [F. H. Stadtmueller, Elmwood, Connecticut, 

 April 20, 1891. 



