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Scouting for Pests, Forest Pest Survey, and Other Activities

Scouting for Insect Pests

During recent years systematic scouting has been done in New Jersey for such pests as the potato tuber moth, the white-fringed beetle, the golden nematode of potatoes, the European chafer, the alfalfa weevil, status of the European corn borer and its parasites, etc.

A golden nematode cyst was found in 1952 on a farm near Matawan. This farm was rented by the Department of Agriculture and the movement of plant material and soil from this farm has been prohibited. The soil was fumigated and sampling of the land after this treatment failed to reveal cysts. The land is being continued under quarantine, and sampled at intervals for nematodes.

General Forest Pest Survey

Under the supervision of Rex, a forest pest survey is conducted every year in cooperation with the Federal Government's Forest Insects Investigation Division. This work that was started in 1950 is an attempt to determine the insect pests of importance in the reforestation plantings of New Jersey.

Other Activities

The Division in 1951 began a cooperative survey with the Department of Entomology of Rutgers University to gather information on insect and other arthropod parasites of mammals in New Jersey.

For several years, Girth has continued to make arrangements for controlling the pine sawfly and spring and fall cankerworms on the plantations of private owners, and in recreational areas by airplane spraying with DDT. The Division acts as a liaison agency between the owners and commercial air service company.