132 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Fig. 48 Cecidomyia sambuci, larva, ventral aspect of posterior 

 • extremity, enlarged (Original) 



VOLUNTARY ENTOMOLOGIC SERVICE OF NEW YORK 



STATE 



This work has now been carried through seven seasons and has 

 resulted in the accumulation of a large amount of data particularly 

 valuable because it relates to the relative abundance of a number 

 of common pests, species so well known as to be rarely the subject 

 of careful records. Such data continued through a series of years 

 as previously pointed out should prove of considerable service in 

 determining the causes governing insect outbreaks. Particularly 

 is this true if these reports are correlated with temperature fluctu- 

 ations and other climatic changes, which evidently have a profound 

 influence on insect life, specially during the hibernating winter 

 period. It is still early to draw conclusions upon this important 

 point, as observations should be continued over a series of years. 

 It will be noticed that some observers attribute the relative scarcity 

 of insect depredations to the midsummer drouth. This is undoubt- 

 edly the case with some species, while injuries by other forms were 

 emphasized because the dry weather prevented the normal growth 

 of vegetation and thus made apparent depredations which under 

 ordinary conditions escape notice. This was particularly true of 

 the webworm outbreak in Rensselaer, Columbia and Albany coun- 

 ties, noticed on page 67. 



The corps of voluntary observers aside from rendering more or 

 less regular reports on local conditions has proved of great service 

 in the case of unusual outbreaks of one kind or another. All 

 parties have responded cheerfully to requests from the office, mak- 

 ing it possible in emergencies when serious injuries like those of 

 the webworm in the eastern part of the State or that of the army 

 worm in the western part of the State are threatened, to determine 

 within a few days the approximate extent of the depredations. 



