Bulletin 428 August, 1939 ~JECTICUTSTATE ENTOMOLOGIST THIRTY-EIGHTH REPORT W. E. BRITTON, PH.D. State Entomologist Bulletin 428 August, 1939 CONNECTICUTSTATE ENTOMOLOGIST THIRTY-EIGHTH REPORT 1938 \V. E. BRITTON, PH.D. State Entomologist CONTENTS PAGE ~NT~M~L~C~CAL~EATURESOF~~~~....................................... 5 INSECT~~CORDFOR1938 .............................................. 7 Fruit Insects ....................................................... 7 Vegetable Insects .................................................... 8 Forest and Shade Tree Insects ........................................ 9 Insects of Shrubs and Vines ........................................... 14 Insects of Flowers and Greenhouse Plants .............................. 15 Insects Infesting Stored Food Products ................................ 17 Household Insects ................................................... 17 Insects Infesting Timbers and Wood Products .......................... 18 InsectsofSoilandLawn ............................................. 19 Insects Annoying Man and Domestic Animals .......................... 20 Spiders ............................................................ 20 Beneficial Insects ................................................... 20 Miscellaneous ...................................................... 21 ADDITIONSTO THE CHECK-LISTOF THE INSECTSOF CONNECTICUT ........... 23 CONFERENCEOF CONNECTICUTENTOMOLOGISTS ........................... 23 INSPECTIONOFNURSERIES,1938 .......................................... 24 Number and Size of Nurseries ........................................ 24 Connecticut Nursery Firms CertiGed in 1938 ........................... 2.5 Other Kinds of Certificates Issued ..................................... 32 Inspection of Imported Nursery Stock ................................. 33 ResultsofInspection ............................................ 33 INSPECTIONOF APIARIES, 1938 ............................................ 34 Statistics of Inspection .............................................. 35 Summary .......................................................... 39 Financial Statement ................................................. 40 Hegistration of Bees ................................................. 40 REPORTON CONTROLOF THE GYPSYMOTH, 1938 ............................ 41 New Equipment .................................................... 41 Control Operations .................................................. 41 Work Performed by State Men ................................... 41 Work Performed by CCC Men ................................... 42 WPA Work Performed .......................................... 43 Farm Security Administration Project ............................. 43 Statistics of Infestat.ions, 193'7-1938 ................................... 44 Summary of Statistics ............................................... 48 Financialstatement ................................................. 49 Scouting for Brown-Tail Moth ........................................ 49 THEEUROPEANCORNBORERIN 1938 ..................................... 50 Enforcement of the Compulsory Corn Borer Clean-Up ................... 50 Insecticide Investigations ............................................ 51 JAPANESEBEETLE WORK m CONNECTICUT,1938 ............................ 53 Scooting ........................................................... 53 Trapping .......................................................... 54 Inspection and Certification .......................................... 54 General Japanese Beetle Survey ...................................... 55 Grub Survey and Parasites ........................................... 56 Adult Japanese Beetle Populations .................................... 57 PRESENTSTATUS OF MOSQUITOCONTROL WORK IN CONNECTICUT,1938 ........ 58 REPORT ON PARASITE WORK,^^^^ ........................................ 65 Oriental Fruit Moth Parasites ........................................ 65 Japanese Beetle Parasites ............................................ 67 REPORTOF A SURVEYOF ELM BA~KBEETLE POPULATION IN WESTE~NCON- NECTICUTIN~~~~................................................. Method ............................................................ SourcesofError .................................................... Analysis of Trees ................................................... Distribution of Scolytus ............................................. Conditions Fav~ring~Attackby Scolytids............................... Analysis of Trees in Which Both Scolytus and Hylurgopinus were Present Summary .......................................................... NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCEAND LIFE HISTORYOF Ochrosidia borealis ARROW. INCONNECTICUT.................................................. 89 Distrihution ........................................................ 89 Life History ........................................................ 89 Control ............................................................ 91 RODENTCONTROL....................................................... 92 Mouse Control in Orchards ......................................... 92 Pine and Meadow Mouse Research Work in Connecticut ................. 92 Survey Work ....................................................... 96 Operational Work ................................................... 97 Other Rodent Problems Studied ....................................... 98 MISCELLANEOUSINSECT NOTES ........................................... 105 Damage by the Furniture Beetle ...................................... 105 Hexarfhrum ulkei Horn. in Buildings .................................. 105 Hayfield Damaged by Asiatic Beetle. Anomala orienfalis Weterh .......... 106 Notes on the Asiatic Garden Beetle. Auloserica caslanea Arrow ........... 106 Notes on the Hairy Chinch Bug. Blissus hirtcls Montandon ............... 107 The European Earwig in Connecticut .................................. 107 Control of Rose Chafers on Peaches ................................... 108 Resdts of Trapping Rose Chafers..................................... 108 The Forest Caterpillar, Malacosoma disslria Hiibner ..................... 109 The European Pine Shoot Moth. Rhyacionia buoliana Schiff .............. 111 WILTON EVERETT BRITTON September 18, 1868-February 15, 1939 State Entomologist, July 1, 1901-February 15, 1939 CONNECTICUT STATE ENTOMOLOGIST THIRTY-EIGHTH REPORT 1938 \v. E. BRITTON ENTOMOLOGICAL FEATURES OF 1938 IN SEVERAL respects the season of 1938 was unusual. Preceded by a fairly mild winter, low temperatures and snow were infl-ec~uentalong the coast, although in certain inland areas much snow and several periods of sub-zero weather occurred. During seeding time the weather was cool and soil temperatures were too low for quick germination; seeds of corn, beans and peas were infested and destroyed by the seed corn maggot, Hylemyia cilicrura Rond. Many fields were re-plant,ed even two or three times. Perhaps the greatest divergence from the normal at the Mount Carmel farm was in precipitation during the growing months of May, June and July, when the rainfall was 19.09 inches or 8.5 inches above normal. The heavy rainfall of September increased the yearly precipita- tion to 58.16 inches at Mount Carmel, or 7.80 above normal, although the precipitation for the other eight months was below normal. The heaviest downpour occurred in September when in one storm, over a period of four days, from 10 to 18 inches fell in different localities of the State. This storm culminated September 21 in a hurricane that broke and uprootecl I hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of trees, including many orchards. It also caused tremendous damage by blowing down or carrying away buildings and other structures and washing away the lancl, partic- ularly along the coast. Some insects were present in usual abundance, some more prevalent than usual and ot,hers less common. Cutworms, cabbage worms, wireworms, the striped cucumber beetle (Diabrotica viltata Fabr.), the Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna variveslris Muls.), and the potato flea beetle (Epilrix cuczzmeris Harr.) were normally prevalent. The flea beetle commonly infested potato and tomato and severely damaged an acre of cucumber plants. Tobacco fields also were damaged to some extent. The European corn borer, Pyrausla nubilalis Hiibn., probably caused more damage to corn and dahlias than ever before in those sections of Connecticut where it is most prevalent. -4lso potato, ast,er and marigold were heavily infested. Even raspberry canes were infested in Kensington, 7 and larvae were found in apple fruit at the Station farm at. Mount Carmel, although no corn grew within 100 yards. 6 Connecticul Experiment Station Bulletin 428 The Oriental fruit moth, Grapholitha molesla Busck, was perhaps twice as prevalent as in 1937. Both the European red mite, Paratrlranychrzs pilosus C. &. F., and the pjach borer, Conopia exiiiosa Say, were unusually prevalent. The armyworm, as in 1937, damaged grass and grain crops in Connecticut; oats and grass In Norwalk, Ellington, and at some 20 other places in Windham and Tolland counties. It also damaged corn in Bran- ford, Mount Carmel and Orange, and lawns in Ridgefield. The fall army- worm, Laphygma frugiperda S. & F., ruined many ears of sweet corn in September at h/lount Carmel. The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newm., continued to increase, particularly in those centers like Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, New London and Stamford, where it has been most prevalent.