, 1892-07-06
THE USE OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASE IN
CONTENDING WITH INJURIOUS
INSECTS.
From the. a.Planter.)

Although the chinch bug is not a pest to our
crops in Louisiana, yet the means which are
being used to destroy it in some Northern
states may be Of interest to us as illustrating
methods which may also be effective with in
sect races which are injurious to us.
The following facts are CLEANED principally
from an interesting report, covering $50 pa
ges, entitled Contagious Disease of the
Chinch Bug" recently printed at the expense
of he State of Kansas.
The chineh bug has been known as an
insect pest since the timeof the revolutionary
War. In 1871 wheat fields were destroyed
by it in North Carolina. In 1881, the ento-
m%oligist, Say, scientifically described o speci-
men from Virginia. The first record Of the
appearance of the chinoh bug in the Missis-
sippi Valley was in 1923. Since 1910 there
have been frequent reports of great damage to
drops in the Western States by Chinoh bugs.
The bird and the insect enemies Of the
Chinch are few. In 1850 the State Entomo-
logistsNof Illinois said, ut is scarcely prob
able that any remedy for the devastation of
the chinch bug will ever be discovered.
DR.. Z. Y. Riley expressed the belief that
little hope could be entertained from natural
enemies of the chinch bug.
In 1865 DR.. Henry Henry Sinner noticed
chat chinch bugs were subject to epidemic
disease, more fatal to them than the Asiatic
cholera to man. Of the vast hosts which had
been seen everywhere few remained; they were
dead everywhere in all stages Of development
larrG, pupa, and imaso." He said II am convin-
oed that epidemic diseases are incomparably
the most important agents in all nature in
destroying noxious insects"
DR.. Thomas, formerly State Entomolgist Of
Illinois, said: II ~recollect very distinctly q
similar destruction of house flies in Southwest
tern Virginia and East Tennessee by an cpl
demic in 1849; 80 great was the destruction
among the hies that caution In cooking and
in drinking was necessary. This / am salts
fed was caused by a fungus. A similar cpl
demio prevailed among the grasshoppers.
in 1871, in Minnesota, Dakota and Iowa. All
over the plains the dead were seen clinging
to the stems Of grass and weeds"
In 1880 Metschnikof propagated a para
site fungus artifcially and proved its des-
~tructiye effect among beetles.
In 1882 Prof. Forbes, then State Entomo
logist Of Illinois, discovered a bacterial form
in the bodies of chinch bugs, the deadly mi
crocoeus insectorum, which IS undoubtedly
the agentin producing an epidemic disease Of
the chinch bug.
In 1888 DR.. Lugger Of Minnesota, saw
swarming armies Of chinch bugs suddenly
stricken by disease; the victims could be seel
by Thousands everywhere dead in all positions
He said; Il thought that a good opportunit.
was presented to purposely spread the dis
,eases a..,-
All that was necessary was to gather . FEY
diseased bugs and mail them to regions in
tested with healthy chinch bugs, where the
could be thrown into any infested fslt
Eighteen places were thus made centres O
distribution for this insect disease" a4rt
In 1888 Prof. Forbes said: '::The unquss
9 4ionably parasitic character of this fungus