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K00-TSA3E ( Ephydra hians Say) 
Nevada. G. G. Schweis (February 23): Winnemucca Lake is a "body of water 
approximately 25 miles long and from 6 to 10 miles wide. It formerly 
was a fresh water lake but of late years the streams that fed it have 
been diverted for irrigation purposes' and the lake is now very saline. 
Fish formerly abounded there in great numbers but the lake is now devoid 
of all fish life so far as I know. Great quantities of seaweed abound in 
this lake and this weed is apparently the breeding place for the insects 
we are sending you. These flies are so numerous that during the warm 
part of the day, as they fly along the shore, you would think a snowstorm 
was in progress if the flies were not black. As soon as the sun dips 
behind the horizon the insects all fly in a certain direction and by night- 
fall they are clustered in great heaps in depressions or under bushes, 
where they apparently seek some protection from the chill night air. The 
larval form apparently is of some value as duck food, as ducks that I 
have killed there have had their gullets practically filled with small 
maggots. Ducks occur there in great numbers. (Det. J. M. Aldrich.) 
COMMON BED SPIDER ( Tetranychus telarius L.) 
Virginia. K. G. Walker (March 26): Examination of strawberry fields in 
Princess Anne County have shown that some of the fields are infested. 
North Carolina. W. A. Thomas, Monthly Letter, Bur. Ent . No. 237 (February): 
"On January 30 the temperature at Chadbourn dropped from normal spring 
weather levels to 8° F. with a niaximum temperature during the day of 26° F., 
followed by another drop on the morning of January 31 to 5-| F. , which 
apparently is a low record for the section. Following this low temperature, 
strawberry leaves infested by the red spider were collected and brought to 
the laboratory for examination. These examinations revealed that practically 
all adults and nymphs had been killed, but the eggs were apparently not 
affected. These were hatching freely within 3 days. The red spider has 
been particularly abundant on strawberries during the past year (1933) . 
This condition has been greatly aggravated by the long-continued drought 
which lowered the vitality of the plants." 
Mississippi. C. Lyle and assistants .(March) : Red spiders were found to be 
moderately abundant on azalea leaves at Pecan, Jackson County, on March 5. 
They are generally distributed in strawberry fields in Lauderdale and 
Jackson Counties. 
Texas. F. L. Thomas (March 15): The red spider is abundant on strawberry 
plants in Galveston County, according zo J. N. Honey. About 50 percent of 
the plantings are infested and control measures are being practiced. 
California. M. L. Jones (March 16): Santa Clara County reported the red 
spider as causing slight damage on violets and sweet peas during January 
and February. 
