The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-03-14
THURSDAY, MARCH IA, 1895.
LIFE HISTORY.

LIFE HISTORY.
Prof. Lugger Tells of the Chinch
Bugs Existence.
Prof. Otto Lugger gives life his
tory of the chinch bug, and in this
part of the State, where the pest is
just commencing his deadly work, the
history should be particularly inter
esting. Prof. Lugger says:
1t seems to be unnecessary to give
the life history of such we'll known
insect, which has repeatedly caused
such vast losses to part of our State
but q large number of our farmers
have had thus far no opportunity to
become familiar with their enemy.
This is chiefly true of regions not yet
or only quite recently infested, and
where this tiny insect has not been
discovered to be such q formidable
foe. That many farmers, even living
in regions where chinch-bugs have
caused considerable damage, do not
yet know this pest is plainly proven
by the fact that all sorts of insects
are sent to this Station with the ques-
ton: Is this chinch-bug! Among
such specimens received are insects
which do not resemble chinch-bugs in
size, shape. color or general appear
snce, but all are fairly large, showing
that small insects are considered too
insignificant to annoy the "crown of
creation" Yet it is among the small
or insects that our greatest enemies
are found. A large number of small
insects, but mainly bugs,are frequent
ly mistaken for the genuine chinch-
bug, simply because they smell bad.
Chinch-bugs have, indeed, a bad odor;
but other bugs produce the same or a
worse by being squeezed.
The adult and winged chinch-bug
is three-twentieths of an inch long,
and has black body covered with a
very fine grayish down, too fine to be
plainly visible to the naked eye. The
four-jointed feelers possess q honey
yellow basal joint; the second joint is
tipped with black; the third and
fourth are black. The beak, when not
in use, lies hidden between the legs,
and is brown. The wings and wing
covers are white; the latter have near
the middle two short, irregular black
lines and very conspicuous black
spot near the margin. The white
wing-covers, with the contrasting
black spot, distinguish the chinch-
bug from all other bugs found in Min
nesota. Of course, wherever an insect
becomes so very numerous as the
chinch-bug, many forms can be found
which vary somewhat from the de-
scription given. Even forms may be
found which possess only rudiment-
airy wings, and this is most frequently
the case in the first generation, when
these insects do not readily use their
wings. The black spot upon white
ground is, however, always plainly
visible.
All chinch-bugs pass the winter in
the adult, winged or perfect state,
never as eggs, larvae or pupae. To-
wards autumn, when their food sup
ply, such as corn and wild grass, be-
comes too dry to furnish sap, the bugs
are forced to search for some convent
ent and suitable shelter in which to
pass the winter. But in doing so they
seem to know exactly what is suit
able shelter and what is not. The aim
of all seems to be to find dry situa-
ton; one that is either somewhat ele.
waited to afford good drainage, or one
composed of such soil as sand, that
will permit moisture to disappear
quickly. In such situations the bugs
hide under dead leaves, punches of
tall grass, under all sorts of rubbish,
under logs, stones and clods of earth !;
they also find shelter under haystacks,
strawstacks, corn shucks-even under
loose bark of trees and in outhouses.
Most chinch-bugs hide near the edge
of woods growing upon an elevation,
under rubbish upon sandy soil, or un-
der the mulching in windbreaks. Here
they remain torpid during the cold
weather, but during a continuous
warm spell in winter they are apt to
move about a little, perhaps to find