JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 



OFFICIAL ORGAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS 



APRIL, 1915 



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The comparative uselessiiess, so far as many complaints of insect 

 depredations are concerned, is apparent to practical entomologists, 

 because all too frequentty the presence of a pest in numbers is not 

 recognized until most of the damage has been done or it is too late to 

 accomplish much in checking the trouble. In some instances pre- 

 ventive measures should be adopted months before the outbreak 

 occurs, and frequently the probabilities are against a recurrence of 

 the trouble in the locality the next season. And, even if the latter 

 were the case, there are many chances against the adoption of timely 

 and effective control measures. These well-known conditions lead us 

 to raise the question as to the responsibility of the practical entomolo- 

 gist. Is there not an obligation upon him to forewarn his clientage 

 of a probable danger and the best methods of meeting the situation? 

 If this be true, and few will dispute it, have economic entomologists 

 discharged their full duty in this respect? We admit that forecasting 

 insect outbreaks has its perils and all statements of this character 

 should be most carefully qualified. It is frequently possible to make 

 positive statements respecting the probabilities of the next season or 

 the next few months, and, while this is often done in the case of a few 

 insects, we are by no means certain that entomologists have lived up 

 to their opportunities systematically. There is a constantly increasing 

 literature on insect outbreaks and their causes, and special studies 

 along this line may well be ranked as among the most practical inves- 

 tigations. This data should be used wherever there is an opportunity 

 and the American public trained to take advantage of the advance" 

 information available. Control before serious damage has been 

 caused is an infinitely better proposition than destruction of pests 

 after half the crop has been ruined. The value of preventive measures 



