Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-12-24
THE HESSIAN FLY,
THE GREAT DESTRUCTIVE
WHEAT PEST OF OHIO.
Its Life History, Habits and Modes of
Attack Described by the Ohio Agri-
cultural Experimental Station.

Following is an abstract of bulletin
recently published by Professor F. M.
Webster. consulting entomologist to
the Ohio experiment station:
This is a small, dark colored, two
winged fly, about one-eighth of an inch
long and shaped much like the Wheat
Midge, both belonging to the same or
der and family of insects. The male is
more slender than the female, which,
when full of eggs, slightly resembles a
himinutive mosquito moderately full
of blood. The life Of the insect in the
adult stage is short, the male dying soon
after pairing and the female soon d
after oviposision. The egg is aboutone-
fiftieth of all inch long, ,ofa dull reddish
color. The larva or magg0t is, when
first Matched, of a nearly white color,
with tinge of red, but later they are
very light green, clouded with white.
The pupa is formed under cover of the
puparium, which last is known as the
"flaxseedn stage, on account Of it's re-
semhlance to fiaxseed in form and
color. The insect is best known under
this name and in this stage of develop
ment.
The eggs are deposited by the female
very soon after she matches from the
"fiaxseed," as the rule, on the upper
side of the leaf. This task is finished in
few days, after which she dies. The
young Matching from the egg works its
way downward, beneath the sheath to
its base. In the fall this il just above
the roots below ground, but in spring
they do not go below ground, as rule,
but stop at or near one of the lower
joints.
1t is proper to say that this pest suf-
fers much from the attacks of several
minute paraoites, which attack and
destroy it in both the egg and larval or
maggot stage.
TIME OF APPEARANCE.
There are two annual attacks of the
Hessian fly, one appearing in the fall
and the other in the spring. With the
fall brood the time of depositing the
eggs varies with the latitude, the far
ther north the locality the earlier the
lime of egg laying. In northern Ohio
the eggs are deposited early in Septem-
her, while in the southern part this is
DELAYED until probably early in Octo-
ber, the grain over the territory be-
tween these points being stocked with
eggs between the dates given. Wheth-
er there is the same variation with re-
spect to the spring brood is not known.
The eggs at this season are deposited
IN April and May, the insect usually
reaching the "flaxseed" stage before
harvest and remaining through July
a ID August in the stubble.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
These may be noticed as follows:
Sowing at the proper time; burning OF
the stubble; rotation of crops; sowing
long, narrow plats in late summer az
bats; applying quick-acLing fertilizers
TO seriously infested fields IN the fall
in order to encourage attacked plants
to throw up fresh tillers, and TO in
crease the vigor of these that they
may make sufficient growth to with
stand the winter.
i REMEDIES.
After the fly has gained possession
of field, know of no application tha
can be made which will destroy II
4 Doubtless pasturing the field, 4 early
cit d not i ouFS-sil and makes no pfetenBf0