October, ’18] 
SCIENTIFIC NOTES 
433 
fact that their bodies were unmutilated and their newly started tents were uninjured. 
It would be interesting to know of other cases where the numbers of certain species 
of insects have been so directly influenced by weather conditions. 
M. W. Blackman, 
Professor of Forest Entomology, 
The New York State College of Forestry, Syracuse, New York. 
Blossom Spraying and Bee Poisoning. Literature on the subject of poisoning bees 
with lead arsenate in a blossom spray appears strongly in favor of this notion; how¬ 
ever in spite of this enlightening influence we find many practical beekeepers and 
more orchardmen in a doubtful frame of mind regarding the effect on bees of a poison 
spray at blossom time. In some instances growers vigorously contend that bees are 
not killed by an arsenic spray applied at this time. Conclusions in these instances 
are drawn from field observation only, and the habits of the bee make these alone 
very unsatisfactory. 
With a view of clearing up this situation experiments have been undertaken. These 
are calculated to cover a period of two years, and designed in such a way as to meet 
the field as well as the laboratory requirements. In planning the outside work special 
precaution was taken to get actual field conditions which would permit and facilitate 
the keeping of records on the individual colonies. 
The laboratory program consists chiefly of work in analysis of bees and the feeding 
of individuals known amounts of arsenic to determine a deadly dose. The latter has 
been finished and it is interesting to note that less than .0000005 gram of arsenic (AS2O3) 
proves fatal. 
A part of the work is completed and the results obtained seem to indicate that bees 
may be killed by a poison spray at blossom time. This work will be continued an¬ 
other year after which time a bulletin will be published giving a detailed account of 
the experiment and results obtained. 
James Troop, 
Department of Entomology, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. 
An Outbreak of Field Crickets. One of the field crickets, Gryllus integer , ^ 
became so abundant during May and June, 1917, as to cause severe injury in the 
southern part of the Sacramento Valley (California). This insect is the common 
field cricket of the locality but has never before caused serious trouble in this vicinity, 
its usual status being that of a widely distributed species present at all times, but 
only in small numbers. The winter of 1916-17 was an unusually dry one, the months 
of February, March and April being characterized by slight rainfalls and with a 
temperature slightly above normal; these climatic conditions probably contributed 
to the development of such great numbers. Reports of their attacks on truck crops 
began coming in during April and by the first of May they were swarming in the 
grain, migrating continuously back and forth across roads or other intervening spaces 
in such numbers that the ground seemed alive with them. On one road near the 
Sacramento River a flock of terns was seen feasting upon them and so thorough was 
their work that not a cricket was to be seen where they had fed while in front of them 
there was at least one cricket to every square foot of ground. 
The greatest damage which they caused was in newly set vineyards and orchards. 
New growth on both vines and trees was eaten off to the trunk and even the buds 
gnawed out to solid wood. Where the attack was prolonged death usually re¬ 
sulted, although in some instances sprouts from the crown kept the plant alive but 
this meant a loss of the previous years’ growth. 
