Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-05-19
The rerribi. Peach Bug.

ITS CONTINUED RAvAaEs UPON THE TREEs-rHE
OLDER ORCHARDS NOW NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
OF THE BUGS, THsIR HABITS, &o.-APPEARANoE
OF A PARASITE WHICH Is CONSUMING THE BUGS.
Especial to the commercial.l
DESros, Nd, May 1s.
The ravages of the bugs upon the peach trees
in this vicinity continue with alarming destruc-
tiveness, and the older orcherss have been at
tackled in great numbers. Their first appear
ance this season, was made in the nurseries of
Mr.. Jno. W. Kerr, near town, about the time the
buds began to SWELL but they are TO be found in
immense quantities throughout the orchards
south of us and eastwardly towards the Della
ware line, and they are also to be found, learn,
among the extensive orchards about Mlddletown,
| Delaware City and elsewhere Oh the Peninsula
These bugs are called
A NEW ENEMY,
But their first appearance was made prior to the
| present year. bolne Blk or seven years ago they
| were first seen, but never before III sucn large
| numbers or with such wide spread destructive
| ness III their tram l nave just re5urnei from
visit to the nurseries where they were first no.
ticed this season, and the havoc which they
| have wrought upon the peach sock IL lamenta-
BILE. One slngle block OF 5000 newly budded
seions have been almost completely destroyed,
| aud the small stumps stand ike 30 many dead
| sticks III long rows amid wealth of vegetation
|
| selons is almost totally ruined, few remaining
| upon light sandy Knoll. The tugs have now
turned tneiy attention 70 the plums and apricots,
| the leaves Of wnicn trees are black wIth them,
| and already they are beginning to wither as
| though u scorchlug hot SUI had been upon them
| and all moisture were removed from tnelr roots.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUGS.
The bugs are very peculiar looking, about one
| third the size of the lady-bug, anu are found
| wherever the latter exist. Mi. Kerr, who ls a
practical aud well informed nurseryman, has
studied their habits very closely for several years
| past aud he deems them Offspring OF the
lady-bug genus coco1ieAl) but lnolnas Meehan,
standard authority on truit, pronOulices them
| a near ally OF the Cherry apnls. lC Is wortny of
remark, however, that the bugs are not 10 be
found upon the cnerly scions, although they are
| growing vigorously, side by side, with the
| peach stock. 10 the naked eye these bugs hud-
died together about the stem aud tne under side
OF the leaf look like mass of small black lice
| but under the microscope the younger ones are
! of a brownish hue aud seem TO be covered with
| a SKIN rather than a shell. The older bugs are
of darker hue but all have a glossy ony ap-
pearance. They have Six legs, turee on a side,
and IN their general formation closely resemble
the lady-bug III all respects save wings.
THEY ARE OF VERY RAPID MOTION,
However, aud in an incredibly short space of
| time move aboHt from tree to tree. At one time
MIR. Kerr provided his laborers with brushes, and
every bug was disodged from It's positIon aud
swept to the ground, but IN about Two shaar.,
tyne thsSl Cd ths tsayes l1sy ti.ns cover
iAa eo.eAs ---..shg places OF the leaves, which
are the lungs OF the tree, aud these cavities be-
ing stopped up the tree lapguishes and dies. The
bugs are a most fatal enemy aud are greatly 70
be dreaded, no matter what the age OF the
tree, il permitted to remain upon 1t long enough
death invariably ensues.
HABITS OF THE BUGS.
The bugs are very tenacious to life, and seem
to survive any preparation for their ex5ernina-
ton which is not likewise fatal to the buds
They first appear, as already stated, with the
swelling of the buds, and disappear only when
| the hot sun of June drives them away. IheS
) thrive best in cold, damp weather, and on suci
! a morning as we have just passed through the,
increase million fold. Trees which are entre
{ ly clear of them may, in few hours, be ,loadet
r with them and few hours later the phghG II
Q noticeable. Sometimes these bugs move like
an army in one direction and never vary iron
the straight line III winch they enter an orchard
8 Mr. Kerr relates that on one occasion the bug
g attacked square block of several Thousand peacl
8 trees at one corner and moved diagonall
through the block, not varying foot to eithe
= side but completely killing every tree III .thei
IL line OF march.
. VARIOUS REMEDIES FOR DETERMINATION
q Have been tried by Mr.. Kerr, but 80 far withou
& any satisfactory results Strong solutions hay
been the most potent, but they kill both the bu
% and the leaves. Strong tobacco juice, which
: quite fatal to insects, produced not the shghtei
20 effect upon this enemy. They appeared as napp
% under 1t as an inveterate lover of the weet
a Copperas water, coal oil, magic fruit-grower, hs
g. oil, and strong ash lye all come within the oil
re lection stated, and dry ashes sulphur, SCOT an
"a plaster produce no effect whatever. Mr. Meeha
recommended quick lime, but this has also faile
n. under free application. SO far but one sing
al ray OF hope has dawned which promises rehe
and this is very faint indeed 1t has come III Il
shape Of
PARASITE, WHICH DEvoURs THE BUGS,
But the number is very small compared with Il
"a millions of bugs which are devastating the orc
al ards. lhis parasite is a long beetle-shape
or black bug, with two bright red lines on eat
or side, six legs and a mouth something like era
1t ls quite an active insect and moves rapid
among the branches of the trees. 1t is an emit
stranger in these parts, and no one seems
know anything about 1t. lI Ii regular Sou
mand however, as an experiment by llr' he
!. will SHOW On Sunday two Of the parasites we
arr' captured and placed under a glass upon pa
of with thirty-five of the bugs, but owing to q
strange surroundings an attack was not ma
B. upon the bugs for some time. III
i'll, ally, however, the bug-devoureis beg
their work, and within two hours time there "
not remnant of tho bugs left. An increase
. the number of parasites might prove friend
the peach grower, but they have very little ho
to expect from this source. In the mean til
If experimenting still goes on, and l have hef
nd OF one gentleman who has provided himself W
a syringe with which he throws spray OF C
oil completely over his tress.
tn' BUGS TO BE SENT 20 WASHINGTON.
:. In day or two Mr.. Kerr will box up quar-
SD ty Of the bugs and forward them to the Comm
efs sioner of Agriculture ut Washington, for 81
initial to an entomologlst, with the hope that
-, may be able To give some satisfactory expla
,,'"' tion OF the bug and some remedy for its ext
= mination. You shall be duly advised of his rel
IS j. NJ. L
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