The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-11-21
Japanese Beetle
Curbs Revealed
University Of Maryland
Specialists Describe
New Control Methods

New methods for the control Of
the Japanese beetle were announced
Thursday by DR.. George s. Langford
and DR.. F. B. Wilmington, enton1o-
logists of the University of Mary
land, in papers read before 1877
scientists attending the thirteenth
annual meeting of the Eastern
Branch, American Association OF
Entomologist at the Lord Balti-
more Hotel.
A new method for spreading
milky disease spores, fatal to beetle
larvae, was presented to the meet
ing by Dr. Langford. An improved
procedure for trapping beetles was
revealed by DR.. Wilmington. These
two innovations in the warfare
against the Japanese beetle already
have been introduced on a small
scale in Maryland with considerable
success, it was announced.
DR.. Langford discussed "The Adult
japanese Beetle as Host and Dissent
nator of Type A Milky Disease.
He said that experiments conducted
at College Park have shown that the
adult beetle can be used as a host
for the milky disease organism and
can be used to spread the disease
among beetle larvae. 1t formerly
was thought that milky disease had
no effect upon the adult beetle.
According to DR.. Langford, grown
beetles may be inoculated with mil
ky disease and released to spread the
disease among other beetles. They
also may be ground up and made
into spore dust, which, when spread
over fields, gives milky disease to
the larvae
1t has been known for several
years that spores produced by the
disease kill larvae quickly. The ex-
periments conducted by DR.. Lang
ford show that the life span Of the
adult beetle can be greatly reduc-
ed by the disease, although the
beetle cannot be killed Immediately.
The values of Dr. Lamgford's dis
coveries are threefold: Spore dust
can be made more eheaply from
adult beetles than from larvae;
larvae are not available for inocu-
lation with milky disease during
summer months whereas adult
beetles are; live beetels can be used
to spread the disease in certain areas
in place of spore dust.
DR.. Whittington's paper was en-
titled 1.-THE Influence of Host Plants
on Local Distribution of Japanese
Beetles and Effectiveness of Traps.
He stated that traps placed within
1O-foot radius of plants containing
beetles trapped over two-and-a-half
times as many beetles as traps plac-
ed at further distances.
1t formerly was believed that
traps placed in the center of lawns
and fields would attract the beetles
over long distances and cause them
to leave the plants where they were
feeding. Because of this belief, DR..
Wilmington said, traps often were
not placed close enough to the
shrubbery, or "host plants.
Both papers brought out the wide
spread nature of the work being
done on beetle control in Maryland
DR.. Langford said total of 13,4S1
acres have been treated with milky
disease spores in Maryland, part of
a total of 20,293 acres treated in the
entire United States. These figures
indicate that Maryland is far ahead
in the fight against the Japanese
A.. -
disease.
Milky disease has been used in
Maryland for the last two years. In
some areas it has reduced the beetle
population by as much as one half.
It's use in Maryland is still on an
experimental scale, DR.. Langford
said.