Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1862-08-08
From the Eu,o~olosie,l Report Of Maine. .
Grain Aphis


90 hatch on, their wingless females; with
an occasional winged individual there are
a. We, no males in existence, and yet ihese
virgin aphides or plan, lieO every few days
produce hundred. OF young. alive; each OF
which in turn come to maturity and pro.
duce their young alive. Hence, by the end
Of summer we have millions OF lice over.run.
ming our wheat fields, the very younscs, as
we'll a. the oldest as IL Tor their lives. suck.
ing the sap from the ear Of the grain. For
nv a marvellous adaptation 10 their mode Of
lie. wha: in beetles are JAWS for biting. are
here Heightened out. and joinei together to
form tube. with a sucking stomach at the
base. This tube the louise forces into the
root Of the ear. and thus anchored by their
jaws, whole groups cluster head downwards
on the heads Of grain. and by their numbers
color whole field. But the supply OF
liquid food is greater than the aphides can
manage. hence two tubes open out from the
hind PAR, Of the abdomen. from which cS.
uiss a swcc, sticky auii called honey
lew" Ants come 20 cat it as i, falls on
the leaves, or lap 1t from the honey tubes OF
the aPhi'. and as the supply lessons, they
seu,ly strike the aphis with their antennT
to make them yield more.
At the approach Of cold weather, when
the whols race Of aphide, mus, be Gu, OF,
the virgin females produce winged indi'id'
ua's Of both sexes. which after pairing. die
ou, after dcrosi,ins their egg for the spring
brood. Our species may possibly be the
splD craaaria Of English authors, though
strict comparison OF our. aud the European
species mus, he made before deciding whe,h'
sr it !. an English impor,auon.
These minute insects have their internal
parasites, little iehneumons Of the genus
Aphid,ys. We find in an article by DR.
Fl:ch. information respecting their habits
"Op many Of the whea, heads. may at
present Aug. c. be noticed from one TO
half dozen more Of these lien, which are
very large, plump and swollen. Of the color
Of brown paper. standing in posture 80
perfectly natural, you suppose they are
alive, Touch them with the poin, Ola pin,
you find they are dead. Pick "a part Of
their brittle skin; You sc inside there i a
white maccot doubled together like a ball.
Put one OF two Of these wheat heads in a
vial. elosiu. il. mouth with 4 wad Of cotton.
Ia a weeks time. or lees, you find running
lively about IN the vial. some little black
nies. like small ants. These You eco have
come out IRON the dead lice. through a cir.
cular opening which has been cut in their
backs. Drive ono or two Of ,hess aics into
another vial. atd introduce 10 them awhea,
head having some fresh lice. See how the
hy runs abou. them, examining them with
it, antennr.
Having found one adapted to it, wants.
watch bow de1,erously its curves its body
forward under i,s breast. bringing the tip
before ITS face. as IL to take accurate aim
with it, sting. There. the aphs gives a
shFus. the fy las rtieked It with its sting,
an ecs has b,en lodged under lis skin, from
which will grow mssso, like tha; seen in.
side the dead swollen aphis. And thus the
lIi,ls hy run. busily around among the lice
on the wheat heads, singing one aitCr ar.
other. tall it cHhaus:s its stock Of egSs, 4
hundred probably, or more. thus ensurins
the death Of that number Of these lice. And
Of it. progeny, fifty i, may be supposed, will
BE- females, by which fve thousand more
will be destroyed We thus sec what eff
ei,ni agents these parasites a-o IN 'ubiains
the insects on which they prey. End three
dideren, species OF them now at work IN our
fields. destroying this grain aphis."