Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-04-17
THE CHINCH BUG.
Some Remedies That May BE Used to
Prevent Its Rayagcs.

Z
Prevent Its Ravages.
Can this insect not be materially kept
IN check by natural means? Yes, says
the Kansas State Entomologist. To
certain degree this IS quite possible,
and not nearly so difficult task as one
| might suppose. A good cleaning upand
/ burning OF rubbish OF all kinds in late
/ fall. winter. or early spring, will answer
/ the purpose. if the work be general. by
reducing the number of alternating in
sects. Usage orange and all other very
brushy hedges are the most attractive
retreats, and at the same time most
formidable retreats to master. The
breaking down and burning of corn
stalks in the spring following z chinch
bug year Will also destroy myriads of
the insects that have hibcrnated be-
tween the leaves and stalks At other
times. however the stalks had better
be utilized as fertilizer by blowing
under
If covered deeply. this will be rem
edy fully as etfectual as if burned. Pro
tect the birds, and above all the quaiIs
foT they destroy countless numbers of
alternating insects of various kinds
that are to be picked up about hedges
md such like resorts freQucnted by
these birds throughout the wear. Al
though belonging TO the granivorous
| birds, the quail is essentially insectivOr-
Gus. except during inclemcnt weather,
when insects are not easily obtained.
As rule. but few birds. mammals. rep
tiles or rapaciOus insects seem 10 relish
any of the odoriferous members Of the
order hemipte-a or true bugs In win
ter, however. this repUgnarce is partial
" overcome, and now and then even d
chinch bug seems 4 delicate morsel
when meet" j. scarce.
Various remedies. IS blowing. rolling,
9itching. fencing and the use of insecti-
cides have been suggested and used
with more or less favorable results, both
in this and other States: deep blowing
Immediately after harvest having sue
cecded in a few instances ny covering
the bugs so deeply that tlCy could not
creep out. Rolling at q like season
has crushed large numbers. while ditch
ing and fencing have succeeded in
''buncbing" them, and for a time check
ing their onward movement while nj
grating from small gxsin fields 10 corn
fields. At such times the dragging
forward and backward Of a heavy
weight of some sort has been the means
Of causing great slaughter among their
continually increasing ranks. bitches
into which water could be turned have
formed complete barriers 10 their creep
ing migrations. but not TO the after
movements of the winged insects as
they were about TO mate tor the second
brood.
This insect, like ali der-elators, has
its likes and dislikeS, and chooses its
food plants with considerable dainri-
ness of taste The small grains are the
first on the list. after which follow
some of the grasses and corn. Among
the grasses, millet. Hungarian and fox
tail stand at the head, while few
others that usually grow as weeds fol-
low closely. Wild buckwheat is also
quite delicacy with them. and l have
noticed several examples where weedy
fields were less injured than clean ones,
Notwithstanding the fact that the one
contained equally as many bugs as the
other. Several farmers in this State
have also mentioned the same fact 10
me. As a rule, grain in grassy field
has the disadvantage alongside of that
growing in a clean one.