Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-05-10
About NOXiOus Insects.

The first few warm days in spring
| awaken swarms of insects from their long
slumber, and remind the farmer and
gardener that there is such thing as
"war of races" and that the battle is not
always to the strongest, but to the most
numerous and persistent. Many a farmer
learned this fact last summer while fight
ing Colorado potato beetles, and he may
as well be making ready to meet this
enemy and scores of others, which are
found upon every farm and in almost
every garden. The pillow and spade will
unearth many insects which, if let alone,
may during the year become the parents
of hundreds and thousands; therefore it is
always safe plan to commence fighting
noxious species while they are few in
| numbers. The white grubs, which are
| turned up in almost any good grass land
or strawberry patch, will in time change
to the common brown May beetle, very
destructive insect both in its larvae and
perfect stage. Birds, and especially the
grubs, and will search over newly-plowed
ground very carefully for them if per-
| mitted to do so.
The great greasy cut-worm is the larva
| of very pretty moth, which, like the
May beetle, is attracted by light, and fire.
quently flies into open doors and windows
of our dwellings during warm summer
evenings; consequently we have two ex-
cellent opportunities for lessening these
pests; first, by killing every larva found
while working the soil, and by taking all
which may be attracted into our presence
by lamps, or fires built for the purpose at
night. Some farmers build fires in their
fields at night for the purpose of attract
ing night-t1ying species of insects. which
fly into the flames and are killed. The
making of fires in the open field for this
purpose is of questionable utility, mas
much as it is well known that many USE
full insects are also attracted by the light
of the fire, and are destroyed with the
noXious ones. For instance, the Harpalus
is an extensive genus of ground beetles,
which feed almost exclusively upon other
insects, and some of the species have been
found destroying the Larvae of the Colora-
do potato-beetle; but they are nocturnal
in habit. and likely to be destroyed when
any such wholesale and indiscriminate
methods are adopted as those named.
Under such circumstances we believe a
man should know enough of entomology
to distinguish between well-known friends
and foes before putting any wholesale
method of slaughtering insects into prac-
tice.
The rapid increase of noxious insects
of late years is doubtless due in great
measure to our interference with natural
laws, whereby the preponderance of any
one class is prevented; but through gen.
eral ignorance or stolid indifference to
what naturalists have taught them, the ag-
riculturist permits the hunter to kill off |
the birds, or himself helps in the general |
slaughter of the innocents, whether bird, |
beast or reptile. But the noxious insects |
we have ever with us, and even if little |
is done by every one owning farm or |
garden, their numbers may be reduced. |
There is probably no better general insect
icide than lime, especially for the vege-
table garden, where it readily applied to
the soil or growing plants. The flea
beetles which often attack cabbages and
turnips in spring may be driven away by
busting the plants with dry lime; and the
grubs of the asparagus beetle, and the
slugs of the saw-fy which often strip the
leaves of cherry, pear and other fruit trees,
quickly die if touched with this caustlc
substance.
The Larvae of the potato beetle can make
little progress on leaves covered with
lime; still, when this pest is abundant,
more powerful poison is required to keep
it in check. Nothing better has yet been
than Paris green, mixed with
-four, at the rate of one pound OF the
former to fifteen of the latter, which is then
busted over the leaves while wet with dew.
Borers of various kinds are to be found
in fruit trees, in almost every part OF the
country. Peach trees are infested with
the Larvae of handsome little moth,
which deposits its eggs near the root OF
the tree. The grubs bore into the stem.
and, if not dug out, check the growth OF
the tree, if they do not kill it outright the
first year. The trees 81 ould be examined
at this season, and wherever gum is found
exuding from the wood near the ground,
it may be considered a good sign OF the
presence of one, or more borers, which
should be cut out with knife or gauge,
and the wound covered with grating wax
or clay. In the apple and ounce, another
kind of borer is found under similar con- !