Evening star., 1907-08-15
IHAVE YOU SEEN H|M2
1.-The Lachnosterna Ephellda
Leconte Has Arrived.
FINDS SUBURBS ATTRACTIVE
Name Not Half as Bad as the Habits
of Its Owner.
DIsREGARDs PEOPLES RIGHTS
Hes Only a Bug, But His Destructive
Energy Cannot Be Measured
by His Size.

There's a stranger in town. His name Is
Iachnosterna Ephelida Leconte, which Is
eonorous. but almost exhausts the alpna-
bet His character and ancestry are
youched for. such as they are, by Dr. r.
III ,Chittenden. acting entomologist In the
Department of Agriculture but little good
Is said of the visitor.
The ephelida as he is called for short
Is one of twenty-four varieties of May bee
tie June bug or dorbug that flourish in the
vicinity OF Washington. He is the last
species OF his numerous family to appear
during the year but while he Is on the job
he makes his presence felt.
For the last few weeks persons living in
the suburbs have been pestered by the good
sized bugs that swarm up from nowhere as
soon as the sun has set, dashing at electric
lights butting their heads against windows
and ; reens. making porches uninhaoftaoie
and rendering themselves generally un-
pheasant.
An Esthetic Taste.
For food the beetles have a passion for
rose bushes and fir trees. the foliage OF
which they devour with strict impartiality.
Dr. Chittenden says that he has received
cosr+plaints of the insects depredations from
neigh boring states and that their activities
have assumed the proportions of recog-
nized pest A similar condition Is recorded
for 1850. when the ancestors OF the present
genera ation of deStroyers attacked 'he appie
trees OF Virginia
..I.achosterna' is the generic name for
the beetles. and it means "woolly-oreast-
ed" The word "ephelida," which charac-
terizes this particular bug. means "freck-
led :" and "Leconte'' refers to the scientist
who classified II. So the whole name or
the beetle "Lachnosterna Ephelida Le-
,conta - means the the freckled bug with
hiRh
ered''-and one may let II go at that
At the Department of Agriculture 1t was
said today that the bug Is destructive 70
pecan trees and to all fruit trees. especially
the peach
June bugs in this region are usually
green but the ephelida Is yeliowtsh. and
only about half the size OF the beetles which
appear earlier in the year You may kno"
them by these characteristics when they
light on you and crawl down your coiiar:
They do not bite human beings. put they
scratch lightly, and children amuse tnem-
selves by holding a number In their hanoS'
receiving a tlnglng sensation from the
scratches which they call getting an cleo
trfc shock"
Good Diet for Cats.
Cne observer reports that the insects
max. an excellent diet for cats saying that
one belonging 10 him that has fed freely
upon the pests has greatly improved, Its
coat being much glossier, while its scratch
ing tendencies do not seem to be increased
by assimilation.
II viii be a relief TO those who have been
troubled by the insects to know that II
takes three years for them to hatch. This
fact was discovered by DR. Crittenden at
the Department OF Agriculture. 1t had been
suspeCted before. but experiments at the de-
partmsnt proved the theory. Seventeen
wear locusts and those which take twelve
wears 10 hatch alone beat the record OF the
deliberate lachnosterna.
This May Help Some.
For diminishing the pests 1t is suggested
at tie Department Of Agriculture that since
the beetles are strongly attracted to lights.
and especially 10 e,ectric-hght globes, they
can he captured To some extent by means
OF stationary lanterns and pans OF water,
on wrtrh IS floating thin scum or kero-
sene placed below the lanterns. The traps
should be stationed at intervals about In
Tested places, particularly around their Dor
ders.
1t is often desirable to protect choice
trees against the ravages OF the beetles.
For tAis purpose nothing is better than mos
quito netting. Beetles may be beaten from
the trees into inverted umbrellas or SINH
lar reCeptacles. and can be readily captured
and killed. as they make little effort to es-
cape after being dislodged. Spraying with
arssnicals is Of no practical use. the
beetles continue feeding until the poison
takes effect, and the next day the dead are
replaced by other individuals.