Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-06
THE AMAZING APHlS,

The following interesting story Of the
wonderful life habits Of the various
species OF aphis or plant lice. written
10y Theodore Wood Is taken from the
London Daily Mail Of July Z:
The present year seems likely TO es-
tablish record not only for abundance
Of rain but also for abundance Of blight.
Concerning the former ! speak Feeling
~ for after enduring a fall OF seven
inches In 10 days I'm London, | went
north Just IN time to get something like
six inches more IN a week Concerning
the latter every reader Of the Daily
Mail will bear me out for In town or In
country one cannot be blind to IT, Ev-
cry tree, every bush, every low plant,
every weed almost. has us leaves
stunted, or shryelled or withered, or
blstered, or curled And the cause Of
ID all, In every case. is a species Of
aphis. or blight When the growing
Vegetation Is checked by late frosts, a.
It was during the recent spring, blight"
Is generally only too plentiful.
INSECT lDIOSYNCRASIEs.
In appearance these insects differ
There is a green one on he roses II
grey one on the apples a brown one
on the Chrysanthemums. and a black
one on the brosd beans You find one
That is perfectly bare. another covered
with kind of mealy dust, a third clad
In long hairs, and a fourth decked out
with sort Of fluffy wool.
Some OF them, too. have habits of
their own The aphis Of the larch. for
instance. comes out In early spring,
when little shelter is to be found on
the pendent shoots, and eosterly winds
are strong one would EXPECT the frail
little creature to be torn from It's hold.
But II has developed a spiral beak IN.
stead OF q straight one, which Il screws
into q twlg, and so, securely anchored
down, can suck In peace and safety.
There Is one OF these insects too.
which can never rise into the air with
out first lying down on lis back ana
whrIing rapidly round and round for
about IS seconds Why Il does this no
body knows. But the performance
seems 10 be an indispensable prelim-
mary TO flight
Some aphides too indulge In "alter.
nate operations" In other words the
offspring viii be utterly unlike their
parents. so that no man would imagine
that there could be any possible CON
nection between the two; while the
next brood VIII revert to the original
type grandchild and grandparent be.
ing exactly SIMILAR And the first and
third generations may live on the
leaves OF trees, while the second and
fourth may suck sap from the roots UNI
derground
But in other respects these creatures
absolutely agree Every aphls, for ex.
ample II kind Of live machine for
the manufacture Of molasses. Plunging
its beak into a tender green shoot or
a half-expanded leaf, Il pumps up the
sap without ccasing: and as fast az Il
does so Il eXpels II again from two III.
tie tubes on IFS back In the form Of a
sticky and exceedingly sweet llQuid
known as "hOneydew" The ants are ex.
ceedlngly fond OF this liquid. You can
see them milking" the aphdes lust as
II they were tiny COWS They even keep
herds OF them during the winter IN
their nests underground, so that air
through the season OF frost and snow
they may have constant supply OF
their favorite beverage. But It's pro.
duction doubles the mischief which Is
caused By the insects, for the honey
deN falls on the leaves below those on
which Inc aphldes are working and
covers them with a kind OF yarnish.
entirely choking up the pores through
which respiration Is carried on
Most aphidps aEree, too, IN the curl.
GUS fact that they never have wings
until the food supply shows signs Of
running short. AS long as the sap On
which they live Is plentiful and healthy
there Is no need for them to travel.
Consequently wings are not developed.
hut when the constant drain upon ito
life blood begins 10 tell, and the food
plant shows signs OF weakening { he
Unsuitable destrOyers at once begin 10
grow wings In order that they may hy
away In search Of better nourlshmeut.
COMPOUND MULTIPLICATION.
But the most curious OF an the curl.
Gus facts with regard TO these insects
Is the extraordinary rate at which they
multiply. Roughly speaking. whore
there II none today there will be FIVE.
and-twenty tomorrow Two days lat
er there viii be five-and-twenty times
and rHo days later
stlll fye-and-twenty times fve.and
twenty times fve-and-twenty.
This phenomenal rate OF increase is
due TO two causes. In the first place.
aphides seldom lay eggs. As q genarU
rule, In fact they only do 80 towards
the end Of autumn. apparently because
eggs are better able 20 Withstand the
rigor Of the winter than perfect insects
And all through the spring ana summer
they propagate by n kind OF budding
process. lite ones growing out from
The bodies OF their parents almost after
the manner OF brussels sprouts And.
IN the second place all these insects
are females. AMONG aphides the mas
tuline sex IA unknowkn except IN the
ease OF the anal generation Of each sea.
son. They have not only put the I'M
fortunate male IN his place they have
eliminated him. COnse
tueBtly every Individual can sprout out
49,. 49, ~, tte ot,sp account And Go