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"The wireworm Heteroderes laurentii Guer. , which was first discov- 
ered in the United States in the fall of 1927, has become very abundant 
in certain sections of the Gulf Coast States. It is not known just when 
this insect was introduced, hut scouting during 1930 has shown the insect 
present in the following States and counties: In Alabama in Baldwin and 
Mobile Counties; in Mississippi in Jackson, George, and Harrison Counties; 
in Florida in Escambia, Walton, Jackson, and Holmes Counties. All iden- 
tifications of specimens from Florida have been made from larvae, since 
scouting was done there d.uring the period when adults were not plentiful 
in the field. In the other States mentioned, adults as well as larvae 
have been collected. During 1930 the insect was very abundant in Baldwin 
and Mobile Counties, Alabama. Soil sifting has shown a population in 
some fields as high as 10 larvae ner square foot in the top 4 inches of 
soil. The amount of damage or injury caused by the insect to various 
crops is very hard to determine, since observations along that line have 
not been completed. It is safe to say, however, that considerable damage 
is done where such a heavy population is found." 1 
PLAINS FALSE WIEMOBM 
Similar to the conditions reported in 1929, the Plains false wire- 
worm ( Eleodes opaca Say) did very little damage throughout its entire 
range this season. It was reported as moderately abundant in wheat at 
Ulysses, Kans., and the beetles were observed in unprecedented numbers in 
the entire wheat area of the •panhandle of Texas. 
CUTWOBMS 
The pale western cutworm ( Pprosagrotis orthogonia Morr. ) and the army 
cutworm ( Chorizagrotis auxjLari s Grt.) were appearing in destructive num- 
bers in several Western States from Oklahoma to Nebraska during late March, 
and other species were reported as appearing in unusual numbers in the 
Gulf region during that rionth. As the season advanced, the usual number 
of spring reports were received from practically all parts of the country. 
Toward the end of May damage by the pale western cutworm was reported from 
parts of Montana.. These cutworm depredations continued until the early 
part of June, especially from the Dakotas and Nebraska, and westward into 
During the summer the variegated cutworm 
( L.ycouhotia margaritosa Haw.) rather severely damaged alfalfa in the 
southern tier of counties of Nebraska, and the black cutworm ( Agrotis 
ypsilon Rott.) attacked corn and cotton in Mississippi. During the fall 
months this species seriously injured over 2,000 acres of lettuce land 
west of Phoenix, Ariz. During August the pale western cutworm was local- 
ly injurious in Utah, and the Bertha armyworm ( Bara.thra configurate, walk. ) 
occurred in outbreak numbers in the northeastern corner of North Dakota. 
1 K. L. Cockerham, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. D. A. 
