REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST IQ17 53 
Suffolk county. There was serious injury to birch, maple and 
elm in Suffolk county localities, though oak, mulberry, hickory, 
locust and plum were only slightly damaged. June beetles were 
variously reported as being somewhat numerous or extremely 
abundant. 
Ulster county. The insects were very abundant for approximately 
2 miles on either side of the mountains, due in all probability to 
there being so much waste grassland and forest areas. Oaks, elms 
and birches were considerably eaten on the lower mountain areas, 
while chestnut, basswood, pines and spruces were but slightly 
damaged. 
Wayne county. The insects appear to have been moderately 
numerous and no serious injury to trees was noted. 
Yates county. June beetles were plentiful or abundant, though 
no particular area was seriously affected. 
Corn billbug (Sphenophorus sp.). A package of timothy 
corms infested with grubs tentatively referred to this genus was 
received under date of August roth from F. H. Lacy, Dutchess 
county agricultural agent, accompanied by a statement that pre- 
sumably at least 10 per cent of one field was thus affected. 
The larvae are thick bodied, oval, footless grubs with hard, brown 
or blackish heads, the first segment behind the head being leathery, 
smooth and slightly tinged with brown. They occur most frequently 
in the corms of timothy and in the thick root growths of common 
reeds, club rushes, coarse sedges and swamp grasses found in 
wet situations. These grubs occasionally cause serious injury to 
timothy meadows, and corn planted on recently broken land may 
be infested by these pests, insects which are much better known 
in the southern and central states. Damage of this character is 
rarely reported in New York State, presumably because conditions 
are unfavorable for the breeding of these insects. 
Recently broken land should not be planted to crops liable to 
injury, and this is particularly important in sections where there 
has been more or less damage. Plowing in early fall has also been 
found of some service and it is possible that considerable benefit 
might accrue from burning over swamp and grasslands infested or 
presumably infested with these pests. 
Wheat midge (Thecodiplosis mosellana Gehin). The 
work of this insect has been known for years, and about the middle 
of the last century it was one of the very destructive wheat pests. 
Conditions appear to have changed greatly since then and com- 
