The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-04-28
A AGRICULTURAL Al.
HURTFUL INSECTS.

III you Woulu preserve your trullS, pro
teci the birds. IL you would save your
crops, you must study the insects ,ha, dam
age the farmer. Read in the working far
mer for January, the report OF DR.. Harris
upon the rose bug, with its slender body,
iapering before and behind, covered with
ashen yellow down, equipped with pale,
red, long lcgs-one Of the creates, scour.
ges Of the nursery and garden. II does
not confne lis ravages 10 the rose, from
whence IL derives its name, but attacks the
grape vine in myriads; and apple, plum,
aud cherry trees have not been spared
Other trees, and even the grass have been
devoured by this indiscriminaie feeder,
that has its preference, bu, will not allow a
fastidious squeamishness TO 10 deprive him
Of dinner.
Birds eat them in grea, numbers, and
barn door fowls are fond OF making q re.
past upon them, Us also moles, insects, and
other animals. II insects did not destroy
each other, all other living things might
fall before them, and finally no, an animal
or plant DO lef upon the face Of the earth.
Plant lice love company, and so cluster
together in great numbers on the limbs oil
trees and shrubs. They exude swee, Ii.
quor or sap extracted from vegetation, oI
which ants are very fond, and the latter are
often observed 10 be exceedingly active in
ascending and descending plants, which
afer while appear unhealthy. The dis
ease from which they suffer is attributed
by many to these ants, but they are per,
fectiy innocent, and never injure trees n
all. The industrious creatures are only
visiting their friends, these plant lice, some
times called aphites, in order TO milk them
They are, in truth, the mlch cows Of the
ants, who treat them with the utmos, ten
derness. which seems 10 be reciprocaiet
by the lice; for they will dispense ,heil
fa1ors with apparen, pleasure by squeezing
out drop after drop OF the precious liquol
on purpose to crafty the sensual mixers,
standing round in circle 10 imbibe il.
In the autumn, tho ants even remove
the plant lice from their summer dwellings
upon the branches Of shrubbsry, flowers
and trees TO their own more comfortable and
less exposed domicils in the ground, where
they take care Of them Us they do Of their
own offspring, in return for which, they
draw from them much OF their own nour-
ishment. Thus affectionaie is the relation
between the ant and plant lonse. On the
other hand, the latter 10 much damage 10
plants, upon which they feed in vast mum.
bers, causing them to pine and decay. II
no friendly ants relieve them Of the supera.
bundanoe Of their juices, they will overflow
upon the limbs ana foliage, or be elected
and fall in showers around them. This
substance is sometimes called honey-dsir !;
but there is another OF the same name
which consists Of sap oozing from leaves.
Another rlass OF insects 10 called Hymen-
op'era, comprehending bees, wasps, ants,
icnenmon HES, together with many other
insects. Go abroad in the summertime, -
says Dr. Harris, "and you will behold the
saw ny making holes in leaves with her
double key-hole saws, and the horn-tail Dor.
Ing with her anger into the solid trunks of
trees /; they will not fail 10 observe the IN.
;iring scrutiny OF the iohneumon flies, those
little busy bodies, forever on the alert, and
prying into every place 10 find the lurking
caterpillar, grub, or maggoi, wherein to
thrust their eggs :--the curious swcllings
produced BY the gall.hies, and inhabited
ny tneir young; the clay-cslls OF the mud
wasp, plasiered against the walls Of our
houses, each one containing single egg,
toge'nes with number Of living spiders
causht and Imprisoned therein solely for
.no I use " ae mule mason's young. which
thus have constantly before Them an arm.
pie supply OF fresh provisions: the holes
the stumP'wasp, stored with horse. fiies for
the same purpose; the skill Of the leaf
cutter bee in cutting out pieces Of leaves
for her patchwork neat; the thimble shaped
> cells Of the ground-bee, hidden in clusters,
under some loose stone in ,hel6elds, made
OF little fragments Of tempered clay. and
oee-bread, the work Of many weeks for the
industrious laborer; the waxen cells made