Entomological Exhibit
From the "Report of the Board of General Managers of the Exhibit of the State of New York at the Pan-American Exposition, 1902"
E.P. Felt, State Entomologist
Several things were kept in mind in the preparation of this collection. It was designed primarily to be of the greatest possible value to all these who are obliged to control insects or suffer financial loss, and to accomplish this insects injurious to the different crops and to various products were given a very prominent place in the exhibit. These injurious species are also represented, so far as possible, in their different stages, egg larva, pupa and adult, and any peculiarities of habit (especially those bearing on the character of the injury) are illustrated. Thus, in looking over the exhibit of injurious forms, the visitor had before him an epitome of the life of the depredator. He saw not only the insect in its injurious stage but also in its other forms, and in a few moments he can grasp many of the essential facts in the life history of a pest. The illustrations of the work of the injurious species are frequently very helpful in enabling a farmer to recognize the author of what was to him previously a mysterious injury. A catalogue of the collection was also prepared, and met its value much enhanced by the addition of references to the principal notices of economic groups, and also of individual species, thus making it practically a reference book to the latest and must accessible accounts of the various pests represented, and, in addition to this, brief directions are given for controlling the various forms. The enormous number of injurious insects, even in New York State, made it imperative that the exhibit be limited to the more important forms, and that the insects selected be grouped in a manner easily comprehended by the general public, They were therefore arranged under various important food plants, etc., and each group will receive special notice under an appropriate head. There are many who are interested in insect life for other than economic reasons. Students of entomology will find much of interest in the systematic collection in which are native representatives of all the more important families, and beginners would derive much aid in the care of their specimens from a study of the technical collection. Those attracted by the peculiar or beautiful in nature would find much of interest in the collection of the work of gall insects, in the mimicry collection and in the collection of New York beauties, the latter being an assemblage of some of the more beautiful native butterflies and moths. The wing frames and framed photographs present by means of statistics and illustrations some of the more important activities of the office. Fruit tree insects. This collection of twenty-three different species includes some of the most important insect enemies of man, such as the codling moth, a species causing an estimated annual loss in New York State alone of about $3,000,000, the plum curculio, apple tree borers (both exceedingly destructive), rose beetle, apple tree tent caterpillar, case bearers, and others, all insects causing much loss annually to fruit growers. Many of these pests have been repeatedly noticed in the reports and bulletins issued by the State Entomologist, and for excellent accounts of individual species the raider is referred to the citations given in the appended catalogue. Vine and small fruit insects. This group comprises eighteen of the most injurious forms depredating on the grapevine, currant, raspberry and other small fruits. One of the most important species represented is the grapevine root worm, a beetle which has already caused considerable loss in the western part of the state and one which threatens to do much injury in the future. The grapevine flea beetle is another pest which demands special mention in this connection. The grapevine plume moth, the currant saw fly and the tarnished plant bug are all familiar in a way to many growers and yet few comprehend fully the actual mischief they cause. Many of these included in this and following groups have been figured and briefly described in Bulletin 37 of the New York State Museum. Garden insects. This group is represented by twenty-seven species which injuriously affect one or more of the crops commonly grown in gardens. In it are found such notorious pests as wire worms, cut worms, cabbage butterflies, blister beetles, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, asparagus beetles, squash bugs, etc. Many of them are very common and not a few are exceedingly destructive, in spite of the fact that in most instances there are a number of well-known methods of keeping these pests in control. Most of these forms are treated in the reports of the State Entomologist and many of them in the State Museum Bulletin 37, cited above. The army worm outbreak of 1896 is still fresh in the minds of many, while the Hessian fly has this year caused an estimated loss in this State of $3,000,000, or about half the crop. The chinch bug is another of the notorious enemies to prosperity, it proving most injurious in the Southern and Western States, though in 1882 and 1883 it threatened to cause considerable loss in New York State. A very good account of this outbreak is given by the late Dr. Lintner in his second report as State Entomologist. A number of species of grasshoppers are also included, since they not infrequently cause great mischief in various sections of the State. Household insects. The species represented in this group are but sixteen in number, yet many a housewife would prefer to fight several less prolific pests rather than ally one of several which may be named in the list. Recent investigations have shown that not only is the common housefly a nuisance about the house, but also that it is a menace to the good health of the community. A reduction of its numbers is comparatively easy. The cheese skipper, noticed in detail in the twelfth report of the State Entomologist, is of much interest to cheese makers. The croton bug, cockroach, carpet beetle, clothes moth and other familiar pests in the home have been treated briefly by the State Entomologist in the Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society for 1899. Insects affecting stored food products. This small group, comprising but nine species, includes some very injurious forms. The most important are the grain moth (a species which caused considerable injury to wheat on Long Island and adjacent localities last year and this), the bean weevil and the cigarette beetle. Most of those insects breed readily in various dried food products, and not infrequently they are sources of annoyance in the house. Most of these species have been briefly treated in Bulletin 37 of the New York State Museum. Beneficial insects. This is an exceedingly important group, which is represent in the collection by fifty-five different species. A series of forms which carry pollen from one plant to another is shown in order to emphasize this function of insects in nature. It may well be considered as one of the most important exercised by them. A few of the many beneficial parasites and predaceous enemies of insects are included, so that the farmer and others may have some idea of the appearance of beneficial forms. The mulberry silk worm and some of its allies comprise the portion of this group devoted to species of direct value or benefit to man. Scale insects (Coccidae). This exceedingly important group differs so widely from other insects that its members were brought together in one collection so that the comparative differences between them might be more easily seen. The thirty-nine species represented includes, among others, the two very common and by injurious forms known as the apple tree bark louse and the scurfy bark louse. The notorious San Jose scale insect is well represented and its close allies, the English fruit tree scale insect, the cherry scale insect and Putnam's scale insect, also find a place in the collection. These more important enemies of fruit trees have been treated of in considerable detail and admirably illustrated in colors in Bulletin 46 of the New York State Museum. Another very important scale insect included here is the elm bark louse, a species which is notices in some detail and illustrated in color, in the fifth report of the Fish, Game and Forest Commissioners of New York. Forest insects. This very important group is represented in the collection by forty-nine species, the result mostly of recent collections made in the State. A. D. Hopkins, who is a recognized authority on this subject, estimates the total annual loss caused by insects in this country on forest and forest products at the enormous sum of $25,000,000. This is a group to which comparatively little attention has been paid in New York till the State Entomologist took up the study of it several years ago. Among the more important forms represented this collection may be mentioned the pine "sawyer", a large grub which frequently causes much injury to logs allowed to lie for some time in mill yards. A number of species of bark borers are represented. They are of special interest because several of them are quite injurious to soft woods in the Adirondacks, while other species are killing pine in the Hudson River Valley and on Long Island. The forest tent caterpillar. the pest which has bean ravaging our hard maples in recent years, is well represented in the collection along with some of its natural enemies. A summary account of this insect, illustrated by colored figures has been given to the State Entomologist in the fourth report of the Fish, Game and Forest Commissioners of New York. Shade tree insects. This group, illustrated by sixteen species, naturally comes very close to the preceding. It has been limited largely in the present instance to those species which are rarely of economic importance except when attacking shade trees, and as these are among our most valuable assets the group is of great economic importance. It includes such destructive pests as the sugar maple borer, leopard moth, elm bark borer, elm bark louse, elm leaf beetle, white marked tussock moth, bag worm, and others, all very injurious to highly prized shade trees. Most of them can be controlled without excessive expense. For detailed accounts of these pests the reader is referred to the New York State Museum Bulletins 20 and 27, to the twelfth report of the State Entomologist and his papers in the fourth and fifth reports of the Fish, Game and Forest Commissioners of New York. Work of gall insects. This is a small collection of deformities produced in plants by thirty species of insects belonging to three different orders. It illustrates the effect a comparatively insignificant insect may have upon plant tissues, and in the study of the collection a number of interesting biological problems are presented to the mind of the student. Systematic collection. This assemblage of 634 species occupies nearly one-third of entire space devoted to the display of insects. It is arranged according to what are believed to be the natural affinities of the species. That is, the more closely related are put next to each other, so far as possible. There is nothing very new in the collection, but it accomplishes its object in giving the casual observer some idea of the immense number and variety forms found in the insect world. Such a collection can make no pretense to completeness, as will be seen at once, when it is remembered that our best authorities estimate that between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 different species of insects are now existing in the world. It has special value, however, to residents of New York State, since the more common native forms are fully represented. This is of particular advantage in showing to some extent how many insects occur in a locality and the sight of these should serve as a stimulus to the young collector. This portion of the exhibit should also aid materially in the identification of native forms by comparison. The common names of orders, families, groups and species, where well-recognized ones occur, have been given a prominent place, so that the non-scientific may not be discouraged by the labels bearing only unfamiliar Latin names, and those who will use only scientific names will find them readily even though written in smaller characters. A more definite idea of this collection may be obtained by the following figures: the bee and the wasp family is represented by sixty-seven species, beetles by two hundred and thirteen species, two-winged flies (Diptera) by fifty-five species, butterflies by sixty-nine species, moths by one hundred and six species, true bugs by forty-four species (to which should be added the thirty-nine species of scale insects put in a special collection), and the grasshopper family by twenty species. The smaller orders like the fleas, caddice flies, thrips, white ants, stone flies, dragon flies, May flies, etc., are represented by relatively fewer species. This portion of the exhibit contains by far the largest number of species, and in order to get the most out of it considerable time should be given to the groups notes interesting to the individual observer. Collection illustrating protective mimicry. This is a small lot comprising but fifteen species. It is an exceedingly pretty assemblage of insects, and though individuals may disagree as to the method by which such interesting adaptations are brought about, no one can fail to admire the collection as a whole and to be interested in the striking illustrations of protective mimicry. New York beauties. This small collection of only fifteen native species was brought together for the purpose of showing some of the beautiful forms occurring in our state. Technical collection. This consists of over sixty different articles arranged to show the best methods and apparatus for the collection and preservation of insects. This is an exceedingly important subject to the amateur entomologist, and as most of the articles exhibited are comparatively inexpensive and as many home-made devices are included in the collection, this portion of the exhibit could not fail to be of interest and of great practical value to those making collections of insects. Framed photographs. This series is largely historical in nature, as enlarged photographs of the two early official entomologists of the State and the residence and work building or "bug house" of the New York pioneer in economic entomology occupy prominent places in the collection. All of these are of importance, because the public should not only be interested in the features of prominent scientific men but the two latter photographs are exceedingly valuable because they constitute a graphic record of the conditions under which the study of insects was first pursued by a New York State official. Wing frames. The tables and illustrations displayed can the wing frames give a general idea of the main activities of the office. Besides organization, list of publications, table of correspondence, etc., most of the wing frames are occupied with some of the more important original illustrations prepared in the office, thus giving in a graphic manner some idea of the number and variety of insects studied as occasion demanded. Publications. This exhibit included all of the more important publications of the State Entomologist and his predecessor, the Entomologist of the New York State Agricultural society. The Fitch reports, as they are commonly termed, and the reports of the State Entomologist contain many detailed, illustrated notices of our most important insect pests. The entomological bulletins of the state Museum, except a few of the later ones devoted to the report of the Entomologist, usually treat of a well-related group and are as a rule of more service to the practical, non-entomological person than independent notices in various reports or in separate bulletins. The references to the more accessible, important notices of injurious insects listed in the appended catalogue should prove invaluable in directing the general public to the desired information in these report and bulletin. A
copy of the catalogue is appended to this account and should be consulted
for further information in regard to the collection. |