64 



Was an open joint about three inches in length at the top. Into this chamber so 

 ^formed the beetles would crawl to hide during the day, and were easily and 

 ^quickly crushed by pushing a small rod down the cane every morning without 

 ■^removing the cane. In this way Mr. Scrim destroyed large numbers at a time 

 "oi the year when it was inconvenient to renew all the soil in his rose-houses. 

 Prof. Eiley quotes in his 1878 report from an account written by the late Mr. 

 Peter Henderson, of New York, of tli^ work of this beetle. After stating his 

 belief that the failure of many to grow roses is due to the unknown presence of 

 the larvje at the roots, he says as follows : " Mr. John May, the gardener in charge 

 ^Mr. Slaughter's rose-growing establishment at Madison, New Jersey, which is 

 probably the largest in the vicinity of New York, has given great attention to 

 the rose bug, his roses for four or five years being much injured by it ; but by 

 persistent efforts in destroying the perfect insect, he has now got entirely clear 

 of it." 



Experiments to destroy the larvss and pupae in the ground by means of bisul- 

 phide of carbon were unsuccessful. 



Prof. Riley having discovered the habits of the insect as to the deposition of 

 its eggs suggested the value of placing traps, composed of rags, tape or paper tied 

 round the stems of the plants or round short sticks placed close to the plants. In 

 these the females would lay their eggs. The egg» take about a month to hatch, 

 and by scalding the rags at short intervals all the eggs would be destroyed. If 

 the plan of tying rags to sticks be adopted these can be dipped in scalding water 

 and again replaced at once without untying the rags. 



With this as with most of the other injurious insects the most important thing 

 is for the florist to recognise the serious nature of the attack and the necessity of 

 carrying on the war unceasingly until every appearance of the enemy ceases. 



HYMENOPTERA PARASITICA. 



BY W. HAGUE HARRIXGTOX, OTTAWA. 



In his excellent work entitled a " Synopsis of the Families and Genera of the 

 Hymenoptera of America, north of Mexico," Mr. E. T. Cresson gives the following 

 concise statement of the general characters of the order Hymenoptera. 



Wings four, membranous, the posterior pair almost always smaller than the 

 anterior, with comparatively few nervures. 



Mouth mandibulate, and with a lower lip or tongue, sheathed by the 

 maxillaB. 



Tarsi generally 5-jointed, rarely 3 or 4-jointed, very rarely heteromerous. 

 Abdomen of the female furnished with a multivalve saw ovipositor, a borer, 

 or a sting. 



Larva vermiform and footless, except in the Phyllophaga and Xylophaga. 

 Pupa incomplete and inactive. 



Keeping these definitions in view it will be seldom difficult even for those 

 who are not entomologists to decide whether a certain insect belongs to the 

 Hymenoptera. Many flies (order Diptera) have a close superficial resemblance to 

 species of Hymenoptera, but they may at once be distinguished on an examina- 

 tion of the wings, of which they invariably have only two. 



