REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR, 1922 29 
ENTOMOLOGY 
The State Entomologist reports that the season of 1922 has not 
been particularly remarkable in seasonal developments, except that 
the month of June was noteworthy in local annals because of the 
unusual precipitation, the rainfall exceeded that for any previous June 
since systematic records have been kept and as a result of this and 
the somewhat low temperatures of that month, the foliage of most 
plants was comparatively free from insects until into July. The past 
winter was about normal and differed widely from the extremely 
early and mild spring of the preceding year. The Entomologist and 
his staff have been very fully occupied with matters relating to insect 
life, some of the more important of which are detailed below. 
The Europeon corn borer (Pyrausta nubilalis 
Hubn.) The situation has been watched very closely in the 
infested areas outside of New York State as well as within our 
boundaries, since experience has indicated the great difficulty of 
forecasting developments in relation to this insect and has shown 
also that exceedingly valuable information may be obtained by study- 
ing conditions in other sections. There was in 1921 a somewhat 
marked increase in the degree of infestation of our western area 
and this taken in connection with the very serious depredations in 
the Canadian section centering upon St Thomas, Ontario, justified 
considerable apprehension as to developments the past season. A 
variety of conditions, possibly largely seasonal, resulted in no very 
marked increase in the infestation in either of the New York areas 
and such also appears to be the case in the Ontario section, though 
conditions in portions of the latter appear to have been very materi- 
ally improved by the general adoption of repressive measures. On 
the other hand, there was extremely severe injury by this insect in 
the two brooded area near Boston, part of this probably being due 
to the unrestricted multiplication of the pest in the large weedy 
areas of that suburban section. The investigations of the past season 
showed a material extension of the infested area, particularly in the 
western part of the State. This appears to have been brought about 
by the drifting of the moths eastward with the wind but in none of 
the new territory has it resulted in serious injuries to corn. Con- 
ditions in both the eastern and western areas support our earlier 
findings, namely, the very early and moderately late planted varieties 
are largely free from infestation. This is decidedly encouraging in 
the event of more serious injury developing. Investigations have 
