The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-03-05
HOW INSECTS LIVE AND GROW.
A Peep Into the Lives Of Two Representative
Insects, the Fire Bug and the Potato
Beetle.

in nature. Most persons know them
only in part, and give them little or
no attention, but when closely studied
the life history and habits of almost
any species becomes an interesting
story.
The fire bug or calico back, which
has been so destructive to cabbages
and collards during the past season,
is native of Mexico, and has only
migrated northward in recent years.
However, it has already gone as far
as Long Island, along the coast, but
not so far North in the interior.
In the spring the adults appear
and after day or two begin to pair.
Within three or four days, the
females begin to lay the eggs in clus-
ters on the under side of the leaves
of cabbages, collards, kale, radishes,
or other cruciferous plants. The in
sects are provided with a four jointed
beak, with which they puncture the
leaves and suck the sap from within
the tissues of the plant. AS it lives
on the sap and does not eat the tissue
of the plant, Paris green would dono
good, as it would not be eaten. For
such an insect an irritant must be
used, though this particular species
is very difficult to control by any
means.
There are nearly always twelve
eggs in each cluster. The writer has
made numerous observations and
has bred the insects in cages and has
reason to believe that under normal
conditions there will always be
twelve eggs in each cluster. The
eggs are laid in two compact rows,
side by side, so that the eggs touch
each other. They are shaped like
miniature barrels and are pearly
gray and marked with black. At
the end of about five days the young
insect within is ready to emerge and
breaks the shell off the top of the
barrel-shaped egg and crawls out
through the opening. At this time
the insect is rather small, about the
size of pins head and green and
black in color. It has four jointed
beak and well-formed legs like the
adult, but no sign of wings. Indeed,
next to size, the absence of wings is
the easiest character by which to
distinguish the young from the adult
insect
Almost as soon as Matched the
young bug punctures the plant with
it's beak and begins to suck out the
sap. This causes the leaves to dry
up as if scorched by fire. Many per
sons whose cabbages have been eaten
up by caterpillars, but were also at
tack by this bug, have thought that
the bug eats the leaves-a thing
which is impossible for an insect
with beak fitted for sucking.
Within a day or two it becomes
necessary for the bug to shed it's
skin to allow for it's increased growth.
After the moulting buds of wings
may be found on the shoulders of
the insect and with each mOult of
the skin these rudiments Of wings
increase in size until at the fifth
moult they expand very greatly and
after hardening are ready for fight.
After this time the insect sheds no
more. All growth is accomplished
before wings are attained, and all
food that is taken after the adult
state is reached is to maintain life
and provide for the perpetuation of
the species. From the time that the
young insect is Matched from the
egg, it takes about 25 days to reach
the adult stage, so that several gen
erations may reach maturity during
a single season. Late in the fall
they may be found on late cabbage
or seeding kale in neglected places.
When winter sets in the adult bugs
take refuge beneath logs, stones, ETC.,
and pass through the winter in
quiet state, to renew activities when
the weather again becomes warm.
In the case of this particular in
sect there is no time at whi-h the
young does not bear a resem blance
to the adult, and, when the changes
are of this nature the insect is said
to undergo an incomplete metamor-
phosis. Some insects which undergo
incomplete metamorphosis have