Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-05-03
TEE GRAIN PEST.

In letter to the Examiner, Fl. Behr
gives the following in relation to the grain
pest, which contains some additional sug-
gestions to those already published in the
RECORD MON:
The insect pest of which our farmers
complain at present Is a species of Aptis
that figures under different names, as
| Asegetpm, Atritici Alola, ETC., in syste-
matte enumerations. because ancient au-
| thors paid little attention to the specific
character of this group, and only men,
toned them IN connection with the plant
subject to their depredations, without CIV
| ing any further description. If the ques-
/ ton of the name of the animal is still un-
settled, the insect itself is but too well
known all over the temperate zone OF the
northern hemisphere Like all Aphides, it
hibernates in the egg state, reaches its
winged form 1.-THE males and females of the
first generation are winged) in California
not before April, in northern Germany not
before June. With all ita wings the insect
has but little power of flight, but is waited
about by the winds, and soon perishes.
Those that reach favorable spot leave an
offspring Of living Aphides mot eggs). This
generation and ell the following ones con-
sist only of females that never get wings,
but bring forth numerous offspring with.
out formulation. This process repeats it.
self through many consecutive generations,
till late in the fall, when q last generation
lay eggs destined to hibernate and be the
beginning of the same cyclus of evolutions
for the next year.
There is 10 possibility of saving crop
once infested by this enemy, but it ia easy
enough to protect the neighboring dis
tricts, provided they are out of the reach
of the current of predominating winds,
and even then small hillock will protect
large tract of land against an invasion.
The law of come countries therefore con.
siders it misdemeanor to sell hay or even
vegetables, out of the infested district, as
soon as it is pronounced as such, into the
district as yet free of the pest and so the
sale Of hay is stopped till the harvest be-
gins, the aphis never injuring cut down
crop. This law has very good reason, as
the farmers generally NOW the crop for hay
before it is entirely destroyed. Hay, Of
course, gets then plentiful and cheap, and
experience Of former calamities has
demonstrated that it serves as means to
carry the pest from district to district
There is one consolation in this calamity
1t is the circumstance that the pest takes
care of itself. The infested district will be
safe against any invasion of the same kind
tor several years, the enemies of the aphis
multiplying at even quicker rate than
the aphis itself. And the aphis has
many enemies-lady- birds, surplus and
hemerobius larvae, and last, but not least,
two minute species of wasps, an aphidius
and a coccophaga.
OF the latter wasp found great num-
Der in most of the packages containing
infested grain. They are a curious instance
of mimicry, resembling as to size and col.
Grafton SO much the winged generation that
it requires sharp eye to notice the differ
ence without the assistance of lens. l do
not know if this mimicry exists to deceive
the aphis or to have some fun with our
Agricultural Board of chronological Off.
GERS, but happily this little wasp exists in
sufficient numbers to destroy the coming
generation of aphis.
The farmers of the infested districts
have to console themselves with the pros.
pect of next years crop entirely free
from aphis.
take this opportunity to direct the at
tention OF our farmers to danger that
seems not 30 have been taken into consid.
GRAFTON. l have received packages Of in
tested grain in which the insects were
secured in a very careless manner. Some
packages were mere letter envelopes, and
contained only withered leaves, the aphis
having escaped during the voyage. Now,
if our regular State Entomologists have
received as many packages of this unsafe
character as l have, this circumstance may
have considerably contributed to spread
the pest into districts originally not in
tested.