The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-07-08
Insects Killing Insects.

1t is often found that human interior
ence with the arrangements OF animal
life does more harm than benefit. Many
a time the destruction of bipls. as the
supposed foes of the farmer has left the
ground free for the worse devastatiOns
of unchecked insect life. In recent
article, Commenting on soma of Sir
John Lubbock's chronological observa-
tons, the writer says: {}JtG4
"While men have been, devising
scientific schemes for the ameliOration
of insect plaques, and fondly imagining
that upon ourselves has rested the bur-
den of keeping the animal world within
proper limits, the insects themselves
have taken the matter in, hand and
been actively carrying into effect the
plans and suggestions which. if left to
us. would never have got beyond the
preliminary stages OF consideration. In
the orchard the fruit farmer watches
with lamentation the depreciation of
the wasps among his plums. and his
children come crying to him with the
tale OF their sufferings, how heypicked
up a fallen pear and were 'stalhg by
the wasp inside. Yet all this time,
so naturaiists tell us, there are
wasps that sting wasps and hornets that
lie in wait among the tempting fruit to
carry off or decapitate the smaller dep
redatOrs. In the hot summer dayst1ies
annoy US. but it is comfort D know
that whenever they sit down onbushes
their enemies are on the ~wstcR4 Tor
them; that not only spiders catch and
eat them, but winged things of their
ov.y,, bind louonr thar, SADDLE, sSpL,>
cockroach is an abomination in kitch-
en-, but if he ventures to walk abroad
the FompiLus takes him by the nose.
and. having stung him senseless, drags
him away to some convenient chink
that serves it for larder. The spiders
that creep about where they have no
business to De. and spin THREADS across
pathways. SO as to catch the faces of
passers-by, are constantly beset by fly
foes, who treat them with delightful
contempt. using their fat. round bodies
to Law their eggs in, and even stor-
ing them up like apples to feed the
young flies when they are Matched.
TIE caterpillars that destroy our
vegetables and work havoc in the
flower garden are not the irresponsible
tyrants that they seem. for they go in
mortal terror of their lives all day long,
not only from other caterpillars that eat
them. but from number OF winged
creatures that take truculent delight
in their tender bodies. The beetle which
we call cockchafer, and which in
France does almost incredible damage,
has another beetle told off to it, whose
only duty is to hunt and kill it. The
wbeat-Hy, snug though it thinks itself
tucked up inside the huskso Of the grain,
ia found out by special fly whose
whole work in life is to lay its eggs
in the others body; and even the gall
flies inside their secret chambers, the
hidden in the little flower,
and the wireworm under ground. are
each of them the particular objects of
pursuit and slaughter to appointed in
sects. To this complete chain OF crime
and punishment man can add nothing.
but he can at any rate take the broad
hint which the insects give him. and
assist them to indulge their beneficial
appetites."