The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-07-28
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THE CHINCH BUGS.
The State EntOmOlOgist Examines
Some Affected Fields, and Tells
How He Kills the Bugs.

We referred Thursday to the ravages
of the chinch bugs in some portious OF
the county. The bugs seem to be the
most numerous in the neighborhood
of Rapidan, but are doing some dam
age in portions of South Bend and
Decoria townships. Unusual as 1T is,
they are in the wooded district to
some extent.
Prof Otto Lugger, of st Anthony
Park, the state entomologist, arrived
in the CITY Thursday to look over the
affected district and afford what re-
ief science and experience teaches.
He went out to Minneopa this morn
ing and was met there by ThOs. w.
Pugh. who drove him out into the
section where the bugs are numerous.
He will 90 to St. Paul this afternoon,
and expects to return to the city In
few days, and if necessary will make
his headquarters here while he carries
on war of determination. He stated
to FREE PRESS reporter Wednesday
that there is no money provided
by the state at present for fighting
the pest, but that he would see Gov
ernor Nelson and present the matter
to him.
Prof. Lugger brought in small tin
box quantity of bugs that had died
of the contagion which it is calculated
to introduce among the bugs in this
county. There was also quantity OF
spores which form the disease. The
professor showed these to the report
er and explained the disease Said he:
"The scientific name of the spores
that do the deadly work is entomo-
phthOra of chinch bugs. discovered
the disease five years ago. You have
noticed in the fall housefiies sticking
TO a window pane. Their disease
works IN the same way that that Of
the chinch bug does. The Spore is
three-celled plant, and it develops
best in damp, warm weather, and
later in the season.
1.-The way 1 operate is to first catch
a quart or two of healthy bugs and
make them predisposed to the disease.
This is done 10y putting them in a tin
vessel, feeding them and keeping them
moist. | then put into the vessel
quantity of the spores. In twenty
four hours the disease will break out.
| let the bugs and spores out in the
infected district and the spores float
in the air and infect the healthy
bugs In this weather the spores die
very rapidly, as it is well known fact
that sunlight is fatal to germs OF all
kinds. The spores will now fly around
two feet from a diseased bug and all
in that radius are pretty sure to be
infected.
"You may think it very hard mat
ter to scrape up quart or two OF
bugs, but | assure you that where
they are thick it is very easy mat
ter. have seen them covering the
ground four feet thick, and it is
often that they are found six or eight
inches thick. The insect does not fly
now-you cannot make it fly-and
this makes it an easier matter to
catch them. AS long as they don't
fly ditch can be dug around an in
fected field and coal oil poured in, or
other substance, which kills them as
they attempt to cross the ditch. The
field can also be burned. 1t is a good
plan to burn a field and pillow it under.
Later in the season the bugs will fly,
and then the entomophthora will
work better.
Give years ago, when first dis
covered the disease, l took trip
from st. Paul to Crescent City, thence
to Pipestone, thence to Mankato, and
then back to st. Paul. The distance
is 400 miles, and the weather was
favorable, and the disease created re-
markable havoc among the bugs. l
scattered the spores out of the car
window as l rode along, and they
spread for a distance of twenty to
eighty miles wide, forming band
that wide and 400 miles long. In two
days every chinch bug in that terri
tory was dead.
''The chinch bugs are all over the
southern part of the state, and l
found them as far north as Lake Yer
million. though what they live on
there is a mystery, unless it be antic-
ipation. They devour all ceriels and
grasses and nothing else -