Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-08-31
The Army Worm.

The northern part OF our state has
suffered considerably this season from
a raid on meadows and grain fields by
the army worm. 1t came too late to do
much harm TO wheat, rye and barley; but
oats, corn and timothy fed the armies
wherever found. Potatoes were un-
touched, peas sown with oats were left
while the oats were eaten, and clover in
timothy was left. The true army worm
trees or shrubs. There are many invasi-
ons of insects known As the army worm,
but this is the only real army worm,
and is known scientifically Is Leucania
unipuncla. 1t may be recognized by
the general dingy black color with the
following longitudinal stripes On the
back is a broad dusky strip with a mar
row white line in the center; below this
is "A narrow black line, then follow, in
the order named. a narrow white line,
yellowish stripe. faint white line, &
dusky stripe, narrow white line, a yell
lowish stripe, and an obscure white line
the belly is a dirty green.
The army worms change but little in
color through their entire growth.
When fully grown they are about one and
one-half inches long. They then bury
themselves in the ground, when they
finish feeding, and few day later trans
form to chrysalis, or pupa. They will
remain in this condition until the last of
August or first of September, when they
will appear as reddish brown moth,
similar to the dingy moths living around
the lights at night. These moths do not
feed on the plants, but mate; and few
days later the female will commence lay
ing cliffs on the grass in meadows. past
ures and especially waste places, such as
marshes and ''cat holes. The moths
soon die. The eggs remain over winter,
and the next spring hatch out into small
army worms that feed and grow Just as
their predecessors did.
The army worm caterpillars and moths
may be found in limited numbers almost
any season, but it is only an occasional
season when they march out from their
usual feeding ground, the marshes, and
strip the surrounding fields Of their
growing crops. \ dry stason, such a
that of last year, is very favorable for
them to increase rapidly and soon 10
spread outside of the marshes on sur
rounding grass, when tender food be.
comes scarce. If people with marshes
on or near their farms would take the
trouble to burn the marshes over at any
convenient time through the fall, they
would burn most of the eggs, and 50
prevent what might result in an army
worm invasion the next year.
The prospects are that there Will be no
general INVASION next year. There are 4
great many parasites, such as the elbow
flies" and slender bee-like parasites that
lay their eggs on the army worms. The
egg matches into a maggOt that feeds on
the army worm, destroys it, and later
changes into parasite like its parent.
If the parasites have done as good work
i'm all the state as in the regions visited
by myself, and we do not have dry
autumn, there will be little danger of an
attack next year, as nearly every cater
pillar collected has been killed by some
parasite.
When an army worm invasion occurs,
the best thing that can be done is 10
trap the catcrpillars in bitches When
they start from their breeding ground it
is i'm some certain directin, and few OBJ
structions stop them, or change their
course. If they come to building, they
climb up over it, down on the other side,
and continue on their Journey. If it is a
brook, they bridge it with their num-
bcrs and pass on, or perish in the at
tempt. When they come To a ditch, they
drop into it and attempt to climb up the
other side. but if it i properly construct
ed, they will keep dropping back be-
cause of the loose soil near the top.
When the ditch is well covered, kero-
Scne may be poured along in it and
igni;ed, or straw put in the ditch and
burned Another method is to pillow OF
cut another ditch in front of the first
ditch, and bury the ones in the first
ditch, and so continue ditching ahead
of them. When the army is once in a
field, little can be done to stop their
ravageS, except by burning the field or
rolling with a heavy roller.
e.. G. DAVIS, Entomologist.
Electric lights will soon be put in AT