Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-06-28
For the Bulletin.
POTATO BUGS.

The potato bug is a recent addition to the
variety of insects in this locality. 1t is not
more than five years since they were first
noticed here, and then they were very few
and apparently harmless but they have in
creased so rapidly that they are alarmingly
destructive to the potato crop. Many Of your
readers would be astonished to learn that as
many as three bushels have been picked of
one acre OF potatoes in single season, and
then ate up the crop besides. So great are
their ravaGes, especially upon dry warm soil,
that when left to have their own way, they
leave neither leaf, branch nor root. Nv OBJ.
Ject in writing this article is to induce the
whole county to commence a war cf exter.
mination and follow it up till they are effect
ually subdued. believe this can be done
by q general thorough work. 1t must be
general because they travel from one locali,
ty to another, but not to great distance ;
i must be thorough for they are very pro.
life.
Let us look at the history of the animal
and then at the method of destruction. Like
all other insects, the potato bug $50 called
because 1t lives on potatoes in preference to
everything else) passes through process Of
metamorphosis, yet there is less difference
in the different stages Of their being tEan in
most other kinds of insects. They are pro-
duced from eggs. The eggs when first de-
posted are very small, not larger than q
small pin head or clover seed, and are of a
very bright straw color and sometimes near.
ly red. As soon as deposited they increase
in size las the eggs of ants, until hatched.
Tho bu0 fbop 70 ah . bo e. of a.. 4
and OF dingy snail-like appearance. As
soon as It is out OF the shell, it begins to eat
the leaf where hatched and doubles its size
nearly every "a hours, until it becomes of
an inch long and 3-S across the back. AT thi.
growth one dozen will devour q good hill of
potatoes. When about half grown, red
line is clearly seen along its back, and on
each side Of the line q row of red spots
They arrive at maturity as worm in from
two to four weeks, according as the weather
is favorable or not cold or wet weather does
not agree we'll with them. At this stage
they crawl into the ground, cast off their out
er coat and legs and come out Of the ground
with manifestly renewed youth. in almost the
exact form Of q hemisphere, measuring about
3-s of an inch across the plain surface. In
mediately they develop in length slightly, the
head protrudes and in about two DAYS we
have q respectable looking bug, with hard
shell covering, resembling wings, jointed in
straight seam along the back. At full size
the bug is nearly ! inch long, 3s inch wide,
hemispherical, on each wing FIVE yellow
stripes the upper ones running but half way
and coming together on the middle of the
back. The background Of he wings is black.
The head is the reverse, the color being vel.
low and the spots dark. When the bug is
week out of the worm state it begins to de.
post eggs, and disposes Of them in rows
with mathematical accuracy, with never less
than two rows, according to the size and
shape Of the Leaf. At single sitting she
deposits from Is to l24 eggs, and is capable
Of depositing that number every week until
autumn cools the air. In all probability the
bug lives two or three years, as it is known
to dig into the ground in the fall and come
out in the spring.
Now the most favorable time to extermin-
ate is when they FIRST come up out of the
ground, before they deposit their eggs.
They however have now commenced their
work and in some places have deposited
eggs. But they are easily found whilst the
potatoes are small and can be picked off
comparatively easy. 1nere seems 10 be no
hope Of their disappearing in any reasona.
BILE time Of themselves. But if all who have
potatoes will begin in time to pick them
clean twice every day, l feel confident that
in two years they will be under complete
and easy control. But if they are let alone
they will sweep some localities clean of po.
tatoes. 1t will not do to crush the bugs or
barry them in the ground for the eggs Of the
dead bug are as prolific as those Of the ly.
ing bug they must be burnt to ashes.
Some persons have sought remS2x for
bugs by planting varieties which they don't
like, but when they cannot get what they
like best, they take the next best. Last year
when they had eaten up the writer's potatoes
they went on the tomatoes. Let's kill them.
DoAlNUs.
LlrrLEroy. Lune lS. '61.