INJURIOUS INSECTS OE 1897. 
Sir,—At the" close of each year a note of the chief insect infesta¬ 
tions that have appeared is sometimes thought of interest, and I 
therefore venture to submit the following observations in case they 
should he approved for insertion : 
The kinds of insects injurious to agricultural and fruit crops, and 
likewise to forest trees, regarding which enquries have been sent me 
during the past year, have been above the average in number, and 
amongst them some few have been of kinds little, if at all, recorded as 
being injurious in this country previously; also more enquiry has 
occurred regarding insect presence imported in grain or flour. But 
although there have been local cases of serious injury from attacks of 
some one kind of insect occuring at widely separated localities, there 
has not again been any general outbreak. Amongst corn attacks the 
presence of the maggot of the Angoumois Moth in barley, imported 
from North Africa, is worth notice, as, though previously present to a 
slight degree, and also a kind of attack, not likely to spread in fields 
here, yet it may establish itself in stored corn, and the injury 
in the imported barley was to an amount causing a difficulty in 
disposal of it to maltsters. The ordinary corn insects were more or 
Jess present, including a very slight amount of Hessian fly, and also, 
fOr the first time since 1888, some temount of report of presence of 
Cum Saw-fly phsTSoni hi. This is nii QfltehkJjausmg; the .cor" ^toroto 
fall at ground level, and one of which recurrence can be more easily 
prevented than that of almost any other-infestation. Granary weevils 
were more than commonly enquired about, and an adaptation of the 
broad scale plan of clearing them, by passing the grain over screens of 
a mesh to let the beetles drop through answered well in connection 
with hunting stables where the weevils were numerous in Gats. The 
first observation which I have had of the presence of the “ Haystack 
Mite ” f Tyroglyphus longiorj in stacked oats was also sent, but this 
though attracting notice from the masses of mites collected, or fallen, 
round the stacks does no harm excepting a little tickling in the throat 
to animals consuming the fodder- The Mediterranean Mill Moth, 
is unfortunately establishing itself more and more in flour mills, 
and in flour stores, and I also had it this year in flour shipped 
from an Adriatic port. Amongst attacks to root crops, and to roots of 
grass and corn crops, damage was as usual done by the Wireworms 
and Daddy-long-legs grubs, also by maggots of Cockchafers and Rose 
Chafers, especially by the last, for the ravages of which at grass roots 
no reasonably practicable remedy has as yet been brought forward, 
and the winter feeding caterpillars of the Small Swift Moth, a badly 
destructive infestation, are now showing themselves. Amongst Turnip 
attacks, Diamond-back moth appeared at several localities late in the 
season, and attacks of a small weevil and a gnat-midge maggot in the 
seed were present, also an unusual amount of damage was done to 
roots not much advanced in growth, by “ surface caterpillars,” &c. 
Specimens were also forwarded to me of a very wasteful though not 
quite newly-observed method of injury to linen put out to bleach, 
caused by surface caterpillars being folded up in the linen when taken 
off the grass, and gnawing through the folds to free themselves. 
The common attacks to cabbage, carrots, beans, &c. were more or 
less present, and one bad attack to mangold leafage of the caterpillars 
of the Silver Y Moth, the Plusia gamma which seldom does much 
mischief in this country, was reported from Kenmare in Ireland. 
Attacks to orchards and bush fruits, are steadily increasing both in 
severity, and in difficulty of dealing with them, consequently on the 
increasingly large areas of land occupied permanently by one kind of 
crop. 
Applications regarding apple attacks were unusually numerous, 
including those of Codlin Moth and Sawfly caterpillars to fruit; 
Weevil, and the Little “Apple Sucker” (Psylla mali), to the flower 
buds or their stems, and Thrips also, and the Apple bark scale. An 
attack to frnit in one district which I was informed had been con¬ 
sidered to be that of the exceedingly injurious maggots of the U. S. A. 
Trypeta Pomonella fly, caused some uneasiness, but as no larvae or speci¬ 
mens of the fly had been secured, I venture to hope it may turn out to 
be only a somewhat uncommon form of one of our English attacks. 
Any way it can do no harm to mention that if imported apples are 
noticed to be much tunnelled inside by the legless maggots of a two 
winged fly, it would be of importance to attend to the matter at once. 
In Plum tree infestation I am sorry to say that yet another Shot- 
borer beetle has appeared, namely the Xyleborus saxeseni, which forms 
flat chambers in the solid wood, thereby doing great damage to the 
trees, this in addition to the X dispar which appeared as a destructive 
Plum-wood pest in 1889. 
Pear and Cherry Leafage is still yearly much injured by the cater¬ 
pillars known as “ Slugworms ” of the Pear and Cherry Sawfly, which 
is quite unnecessary, as the remedy and prevention of recurrence is 
sure and simple. V 
The ordinary attacks to bush fruits appear to have beehanuch as 
usual, excepting in a remarkable prevalence of the Gooseberry and 
Currant Ma gpie Moth, and also of the somewhat large brown 
“ Ground beetle ” the Harpalus ruficornis, which did much damage 
to ripening Strawberry fruit in various localities, and appeared in 
great numbers, though (in the absence of Strawberry grounds) not as 
a fruit pest in the neighbourhood of St Albans. 
The Black Currant Gall Mite, which causes the buds to develop 
into mere useless roundish knobs instead of producing fruit and 
leaves, now causes serious and yearly increasing losses where this 
crop is grown on a large scale, and the yearly repeated, and carefully 
conducted experiments of some of our chief currant growers, have as 
yet failed in being more than palliatives. As however there appears 
to be just a possibility that some varieties might be less subject to 
attacks than others, I have, through the courtesy of one of my 
colleagues, been favoured with a supply of cuttings from Budapest, 
which will be carefully experimented with, and.result (if satisfactory) 
duly mentioned. 
Amongst forest attacks, the “Pine beetle” Eylurgus piniperda , 
attracted especial > attention (as also in 1896) consequently on the 
spread of the infestation to standing timber, from the great amount 
of trees blown down in various localities, especially in North 
Britain, which furnish breeding grounds beneath the bark for beetles. 
On one large property, not less than a hundred thousand trees 
in numbers were thrown down. The requisite .preventive measures 
are being carefully undertaken. Amongst other Pine attacks, the 
Weevil which injures tender bark ; caterpillars of Pine Sawfly which 
take the leaves; and of a Tortrix moth which especially live in the 
bud of the terminal shoot, and the large maggots of the great four 
winged fly the Sirex gigas were especially mentioned. Some interest 
has also been excited by observation of this Sirex and also of an 
extraordinarilv—lonff-herned -beetle? known as the “ Timherman ’ ’--in- 
rf. r, 
coal mines, where they have been brought in maggot state in imported 
timber. 
Elm bark beetles (an important pest) have been receiving attention. 
Attacks of leafage caterpillars whether to that of Oaks or other trees 
have been bad in some instances locally, but not so severe generally 
as in the two preceeding years, when the long drought favoured 
developement of caterpillars and kept back that of leaves. An 
attack of a kind of soft “ Scale insect ” Cryptococcus fagi, which covers 
trunks of Beech trees with a white felt-like secretion, and is both 
more injurious and more prevalent than is generally known of, was 
brought forward. 
Amongst special attacks, that of Warble fly to cattle was as usual 
much before the public, notwithstanding that the practical work of 
large numbers of our best known Cattle Owners, Partners, and 
Veterinary Surgeons for years back, have shown that it can with little 
trouble, and hardly any cost, be thoroughly kept in check. The Deer 
Forest Fly furnished observations, of some interest scientifically, as to 
abortive development or injured presence of wings in the female. 
Locusts have again been found in large numbers, in the “ Alfalfa” 
or Lucerne Hay, imported from the Buenos Ayres district of South 
America, and in one instance it was reported to me that three horses 
of one proprietor fed on the infested hay fell ill, but recovered on 
discontinuance of the fodder containing locusts, and (in one case) also 
with treatment. The cows were not affected by the same fodder. 
Amongst house insects, the “German Cockroach” is establishing 
itself so widely that it needs attention. It is distinguishable by being 
much smaller than our common kind, and of a yellowish or brownish 
colour, striped with darker brown. , 
The very beneficial insects, the “ Lady-bird beetles,” appeared in such 
great numbers, in various places, that they call for a word to note that 
it is not they, but the Aphides or Plant Lice, which they come to 
destroy, which are the cause of the damage observed. Sometimes a 
word is needed to save the “ Lady-birds ” and their sooty grubs from 
(so far as is possible) being cleared, although Hop-growers know their 
value. 
Amongst crop infestations not caused by true insects, Tulip-root to 
oats, was more than usually prevalent, and also stem sickness in clover 
was observed, both caused by Stem Eelworms. The same kind of 
eelworm (which for the first time recorded in England) was noticed in 
1896, in Onions, was then attended to and is checked. 
It may be of interest to add relatively to natural helpers in checking 
increase of the very destructive “ Shot-borer ” beetles mentioned 
above, that towards the middle of August the stems of the Plums 
were observed to be enormously infested with Acari or Mites. On 
submitting these to the skilled Arachnologist, Mr. Albert Michael, he 
pronounced them to be the Oribata lapidana, a species which feeds 
chiefly on lichens and minute fungi ; and, as a great part of the food of 
the Shot-borers consists of a coating of peculiar fungoid growth which 
covers their cells and to some degree their passages, it may well be 
that the fungus-eating mites are the best helpers we could have. 
Besides the above observations on infestations of insects or insect 
allies, much other communication and enquiry was sent regarding 
less important attacks, and matters connected with prevention and 
remedy, and it is satisfactory to find that there is a steady increase 
generally in serviceable attention to the subject, as well as in the help 
available under the direction of the Committees of Technical 
Institutions in various Counties. 
Yours &c., 
Torriuftcn ^ 
St. Albans , December 1 6th, 1897. 
A-p 
