Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-09-11
BIRDS AND
Tho Toe Done by the Former In Eradt-
eating Noxlous Insects Greatly Exagger-

0sSS -
h Good Done by the Former In Eradt-
eating Noxious Insects CT realty Exagger-
ated.
We have always been in favor Of
laws for the protection of in%sectivorous
birds, and would include the much-
abused crow in the list, believing that
all are of benefit to the husbandman in
keeping noxious insects in check. But
we can not agree with those who SO
frequently assert that the great in
crease OF predaceous insects of late
years is wholly due to the decrease of
birds. 1t is probably true that in some
localities certain species of birds have
decreased in number and in others
they have not, but really increased.
and yet noxious insects abound in
greater numbers than ever. We know
that in our grounds, where the wild.
birds are protected, fed and even petted.
whenever they will permit it, they. have
largely increased of late years; and
still we find that they aid us but little
in destroying the most voracious and.
destructive species of insects. They
do, no doubt, collect for food q
large number of caterp,llars, cut
worms and the larvse of various.
species of beetles and flies, some Of
which are injurious to vegetation.
while others are not, and the latter
class arc probably fully equal in num-
bers to the former. But birds are UNI
able to discriminate between the nox-
ious and the beneficial species, and
they are just as likely to take the larvp
of the tiger beetle and lady beetle as
they are the May beetle or that OF the
elm-leaf pest. In fact. some of our
most destructive pests possess such re-
pulsive properties that birds Will not
touch them. The great and widely
distributed family of blister beetles and
the well-known Colorado potato beetle,
as we'll as the hundreds Of species Of
the true bugs, are seldom preyed upon
by birds under any circumstances,
while some. of the less offensive kinds
are eaten only when more agreeable
food is very scarce. Many OF the most
destructive farm and garden insects
are seldom molested by birds; conse-
quently the latter can not have ANYTHING
to do Will the increase or decrease Of
the former, but we must seek the cause
Of the fluctuations in numbers else
where. Food is probably the one thing
that has more influence than anything
else in regulating the increase and
decrease of any species of insect. This
has been clearly shown in the wide d s.
~tribution and multiplication of the
Colorado potato beetle. This insect is
a native of the plains and valleys adj
jacent and within the Rocky Mountain
range, where it has doubtless lived and
propaeated its kind for many past CEN
turtles. but it was limited in numbers
because linn ted in food, for the few
plants of the species of solanum upon
which it fed were widely scattered and
usually of a rather stunted growth. on
account of the dryness of the climates;
consequently a single plant would not
furnish food enough to supply the
progeny Of one pair of beetles during
the short summer in those regions, and
as a result there could be no great m
crease in numbers of this pest, no
matter how many centuries they re-
manned there undisturbed in Their
native habitats. The plants that were
eaten up by this pest could not. of
course. produce seed, and if the beetles
were abundant in any locality9 one
year 1t would wholly destroy or
greatly lessen the supply of food
of those that might appear the
next. and the number of insects that
could possibly reach matur ty would be
limited accordingly. But when this
pest gained Abundance to fields of the
cultivated solanum, or potato, it found
not only q great abundance of food
within easv access, but a kind which
was far more nutritious than that fur
nished by the wild plants of the plains.
The result of this change is we'll known.
and we now know that if this insect is
left to itself and its natural enemies no
potato plantation, however extensive,
VII long escape total destruction.
The codling moth is another we'll
known and widely d stributed pest
whose multiplication as we'll as distri-
button depends almost entirely upon
the abundance or scarcity of apples. 1t
abounds in apple-growing regions, be-
cause the apple is its favorite food. 1t
will breed in the wild crab apple, but
much prefers the cultivated varieties.
because of their superior quality and
texture, and the increase or de-
| crease of birds has little influence
on this pest of our orchards. The same
is true of our canker worm. which
much prefers the leaves of the apple
tree to those of any other, and while it
can. and does. live upon other kinds of
food. it will multiply ten times as fast
in apple orchards as elsewhere. Apple
trees planted on newly-cleared lands,
surrounded with forests which shelter
Wild birds in innumerable numbers, are
not exempt from the ravages of the
canker worm, for the very good reason
that with such nutritious and agreea-
bic food as the leaf of the apple tree
they can and do multiply much more
rapidly than their natural enemies.
The imported elm-leat beetle, which
has during the past few years been so
destructive to certain species OF elms in
our Eastern States, is as abundant
where the birds are numerous and pro-
| tectcd as elsewhere. This pest exhibits
q very discriminating taste. attacking
the European species OF the elm in
preference to the American, although
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