The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-09-21
INSECT PESTS.

Some OF the Foes Which Attack Cabbage.
The following instructive essay on
Insect Pests" by Prof. Frank Kizer,
is published at the request of the Lyon
County Horticultural Association:
The Harlequin cabbage bug (stra.
china histri0n6ehaR), named from its
notified appearance of orange, white
and black, in all its stages, has made its
appearance in this section for several
years. 1t destroys not only cabbage but
turnipS and mustard with many other
cruciferous plants. The eggs are oblone
and banded by dark colOred rings. They
are deposited On the under side of the
leaves in groups of ten or twelve. and
are held together by a strong cement
Four or five days suffice to hatch them
out into iarva, which, although very
small, resembles the perfect insect ex.
cept that they are wiDgless. From twelve
to twenty -four days is sufficient to de.
velop the perfect insect
Two brOods appear each year, one
early in the spring and the second in
August. Birds and domestic fowls will
not prey upon them. They pass the
winter as q perfect insect under stones,
moss or bark; hence, if heaps of dry
corn stalks or other rubbish were bull
in the neighborhoOd of cabbage gardens
and fired during the winter thew could
be destroyed in immense numbers. The
plan has been applied with great success
in the case of chinch bugs which have
similar habits 10 the Harlequin.
In some localities in Texas the Harle
quin has appeared in great numbers. as
many as 1900 having been gathered in
one instance by hand. The leaves pune
tured by them wilt as if from the effects
of poison or hot water.
The Harlequin is evidently from the
southern states and is travelling north
ward. The mild winter doubtless had
much TO do in preserving the perfect in
sects, hence their abundance this season
Paris Green, London Purple and the var.
ious others pOisOns used against some
of our insect pests should be discarded
in this case as the cabbage leaf will an.
sorb more or less OF the powder. a par.
ty in South Carolina is authority tor the
statement that the Lep.oglossns PhyI.
lopus preys upon the Harlequin US be
observed it in the act of destrLyirg il.
The Phyllopus resembles someu hal
our common squash bug, having per
haps darker shade of brown. Il aIso
has a distinct dirty white OF yellow
band across its wings, OF Is may easily
be recognized by the singularIy broad
fiattened and leaflike projections ON ils
shanks. The young are bright red
and resemble the young Harlequin in
shape and size.
Another one of our common insect
pests is the cabbage worm (pieris rapaeI
| called by the Canadians the heart worm
from its habit of destroying the leaves
bat also the heart of the cabbage. I,
appeared near Quebec in 1856, having
been brought over from Europe in the
egg state. From thence il has found its
way over the country. The females de,
posit their eggs on the cabbage. The
caterptllars are of Il green color and feed
/ upon the leaves and bore holes through
the heads of the cabbage, rendering il
unfit for use. The pupR are sus.
pended by web of silk, at the end OF
the body into which the hooks of the
tail are twisted. and by thread of silk
around the back which is fasseaed r.
/ the board fence or stone under
| which they transform. When about
to change, the back of the chrysaIit
splits open and the perfect butterfly
/ comes out, at first with wings small and
| fiaccid, but shortly they begin to expand
and attain the regular size and the but,
/ serfly Is able 10 use them in flight
1t thea mates and deposits its eggs or
the plants of the cabbage family
They appear the last of March or the
first of April, and during the summer
| The change from the caterpillar TO Snt
perfect insect only lasts about 8 duys
but in the late hroOds the pnpse remains
al winter and comes forth in the sprins
2 perfect insect Salt has been founl
= good preventive, or the laying o
boards elevated one or two inches abov,
| the ground so that the worm wouIC
crawl under and change 20 the puma
state when IL can be easily DESTROYED
The perfect insects may be caught il
nets made Of mosquito netting and de
stroyed.
If small reward we're offered chill
dren for every white butterfly
they would catch and destroy carly Ii
the spring among the cabbage, vi
/ would hardly be troubled with them, q
these few butterflies originate the i'm
menSe number Of caterpillars which
later in the season destroy the who'll
crop. Several parasitic flea have sp
peared In Europe, but haze not Teachel
this country % ny kHaTleklge. spider
hRte beeR sea deyc0FiaE the laRgIe, Az
alsh birds and domestic FOULS
The cabbage louise has also made it
appearance in great abundA2cH a SON
localities. but e ssf laxz@I q the con
MON "iEdy biFdn Il equally as abnHdaa
sit viii soon disappear Great cal
should be taken not 10 destroy thes
larve. They are longer tkaa the harlc
quiu and very aHch wri1kIed The
are also quite lively IL their actions.
I