Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-08-20
Insects Injurious to Wheat.

INSECTS injurious to wheat are more or
less numerous in all parts of the country.
Unfortunately, however, the greater por-
tion of these pests are of small size, and
therefore readily escape notice until their
numbers have increased to such an extent
as to cause serious losses to the farmer or
dealers in this grain.
Some kinds confine their ravages to the
wheat plant while it is quite small, as ~Ror
instance, the Hessian fly (CectdOmyta de
Struct0r), which deposits its eggs in the
wheat plant during the autumn, while
another brood of the same attacks it again
in the spring, the grubs boring into the
center of the stalk and causing it to wither
and die. This terrible pest of our wheat
fields was first observed on Staten Island
in 1776, and from this point it appears to
have spread over the country, sometimes
increasing to such an extent as to compel
farmers TO abandon wheat culture entirely
for number Of years in succession, and
over wide range of territory, then again
disappearing, probably through the agency
OF parasitic enemies. 1t only few years
since the great wheat growing regions of
Central New York were devastated by this
insect and it will doubtless appear again
in the same localities, so that the farmer
must be on the alert.
Another species of the same genus,
known as the "wheat midgen (Cecfdomyta
trtttct), is also quite common in many To-
calities, and we have before us two heads
of wheat received from Mr.. W. G. Little
ton, of Tippecanoe County, Ind, which
contain the pupa of this pest. The habit
Of this last-named species is quite differ
ent from the former, the female depositing
her eggs in the heads of wheat while it is
! in hlOcSn10, ha 1t Ia
ten days, the maggots feeding upon the
pollen, also sucking the juices of the
young, soft kernels and causing them to
shrivel. After reaching maturity the
grubs descend to the ground forming
minute, thin cOcoons within which they
pass the winter, appearing again in time
to attack the wheat when in bloom. These
cecidomyias are very small, two-winged
flies, but they have natural enemies in still
more minute species of fOur-winged flies
belonging TO the genus PlatygdStes. Were
it not for the latter we fear our farmers
would soon have to abandon wheatculture
altogether; but as the midge increases its
natural enemy also has an opportunity of
multiplying; occasionally, however, the
wheat-destroyers appear to get the advan.
tage for few years at least but their enc
mics soon become strong enough in num-
bers to Overpower and destroy them.
There is still another insect which is
sometimes very injurious to growing
wheat. 1t is generally referred to as the
joint-worm," from the appearance of the
maggots in or near the Joints on the stems
Of the wheat. When abundant, great
numbers of the wheat-stalks die and break
down soon after the heads appear The
name of the species which attack wheat is
| EltrOtlDla hOrdei-Harris
Another species attacks rye in a similar
manner; another barley; and, as the pupe
of all of them remain in the dry straw
during winter, the best method of check
ing their ravages is to burn over the stub
BILE in the fall and see that all the straw
from which the grain is threshed is either
fed out to stock or rotted down in the
barn-yard before warm weather in the fol-
lowing spring.
After wheat is threshed and put away in
the bins 1t is not safe from the attacks of
insects. Perhaps the most common and
destructive kind in this country is the red
grain weevil (Stt0philus granartus). 1t is
a small beetle of pitchy red color, and
attacks wheat after it is stored, eating out
the inside Of the kernel; hence it is not
easily detected except by handling the
grain or submitting it TO slight pressure,
the shell readily breaking when touched.
This weevil is sometimes exceedingly nu-
merous about old barns in the Middle
States, and considerable care is necessary
to preserve seed-wheat in good condition
for sowing. Infested barns should be we'll
cleansed every season before new grain is
put in, even to flmigating with burning
sulphur, as well as busting the cracks
about the bins with the same substance.
A closely allied species of weevil
S-Oryzea, attacks rice as well as wheat in
the Southern States. 1t differs from the
former in having two large red spots on
each elytron, and is of a dark brown or
black color. 1t is generally known as the
Z" black weevilp There are other species
of weevil which infest wheat, besides nu-
merous moths and flies, and il would be
well for our farmers to pay more attention
to these pests and not only learn how to
recognize the different species, but learn
what is known of their habits, and how
best to destroy them, The longer such
things are neglected the more abundant
they are likely to become, and il is quite
frequently the case that few dollars in
vested in chronological works, and few
evenings spent in reading them, would
save farmer hundreds of dollars annual
ly.-N Y. Sun