£5 = 
January. In the same number of cages last year 1,071 weevils were recorded 
for February. * * * For a comparison, 175 weevils were taken last Feb-— 
ruary from 26 flight-screen traps and 1 weevil from 20 screen traps this 
February." 
septicemia of the pink bollworm interferes with parasite breeding.—— 
In October 1932 L. W. Noble and H. R. Johnston reported that the rear-— 
Wesm. was considerably handicapped by the high rate of mortality among the 
pink bollworms that were being used as hosts in the parasite laboratory 
at Presidio, Tex. From their description G. F. White, in charge of the 
Bureau's Division of Insect Pathology, tentatively diagnosed the trouble 
as a bacterial disease similar to hornworm septicemia and cutworm sep— 
ticemia. At Dr. White's suggestion Mr. Noble conducted a series of in- 
oculation tests which resulted in 3 of the inoculated worms dying in 
less than 24 hours and all 20 of them were dead in 48 hours, while none 
of the 60 worms in the 3 series of checks were affected. Slide smears 
made from dying or recently dead pink bollworm larvae further corrobo- 
Paced Dr. White's diagnosis. -The presence of this disease of the’ pink 
bollworm with its high rate of mortality has necessitated the sterili- 
zation of all equipment and the use of other prophylactic measures to 
prevent the losses from it in the parasite laboratory. 
INSECTS AFFECTING MAN AND ANIMALS 
Another sand fly reared from tree holes.—-W. E. Dove, Savannah, Ga., 
reports that "Aspecies (of Culicoides) reported as a biter of man in Mary— 
land, Florida, and elsewhere, C. biguttatus Coq., has been reared from 
tree holes. This is the first record of the rearing of this species. 
Prior to this time only C. guttipennis Coq. was reared from tree holes." 
Treatment of horses for bot control.-~In preparation for the carbon 
disulphide treatment for horse bots (Gastrophilus sp.) this division has 
recommended that 30 days prior to such treatment the bot eggs on the an-— 
imal to be treated be destroyed. On January 2 at Ames, Iowa, R. W. Wells 
found that 4.15 percent of a representative collection of eggs from 13 
horses were still viable. On February 15 he examined eggs from 10 horses 
and found none viable. He concludes that at the latitude of Ames noth- 
ing would be gained by washing the legs of horses with ovicides after the 
first of February. 
Game fish destroy mosquito-killing top minnow.-—-"Two field inspec- 
tions were made this month (February) to learn of the present status of 
the introduced Gambusia patruelis (Baird and Girard) in ponds which had 
been flooded last season," reports H. H. Stage, Portland, Oreg. "The 
original pond where they had been planted and where they occurred in 
large numbers after the flood of 1932 gave evidence of few fish at this 
time. * * * it is thought that the large numbers of game fish which were 
washed into the pool during the flood stage in June 19352 at least partly 
