Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-09-25
OF BUGS WE KNOW LITTLE.
That's Why an Anti-FIy War Was
Never Begun.

| -
Boston letter, is Of a day when scien-
tific expert will control all the bugs
that crawl.and fly as efficiently as the
hydraulic engineer deploys the currents
that transmit power of speech. Ar
era of professional knowledge and skill
is foreseen when the entomologist will
be able to use the three hundred thou
sand existing species of insects as tools
of his trade.
/ Then the Luther Burbank Of the
bugs by processes OF crossing and Sc
| lecting will add to the number Of eX-
listing varieties and alter the charac-
ter of the present species, just as freak
insects are already being produced ir
the Vienna geological laboratories
The economic possibilities will be fully
realized.
earth which would be relieved by its
absence? Breed against it a parasite
cal species which shall leave the world
as if the offending bug had never been
| d
lacking in a region where it's presence
would make for public health and COM
fort? Introduce and acclimate it.
Are there in any country continual
disturbances of the equilibrium among
the species due to peoples Willingly OF
unwittingly bringing in insects from
other lands? Protect the native bugs
against alien intruders. Establish bug
quarantine at every port, as San Fran
cisco has already done, and inspect ev-
cry imported seeding, wicker basket ol
piece of fruit that may harbor colony
Of the eggs Of undesirables.
Somewhat such is the Fundamental
idea of the new entomology that the
specialist by means Of a science thai
will ultimately be as exact as chemis-
| try or physics will hold the power OF
| life and death over the almost innum-
cradle species Of bugs.
Meantime it is rather astonishing tc
the average person to find that this
science, about which so much has beer
written in the last few years, is still sc
much in the future. The insect worlo
| is not yet thoroughly known, as those
for instance, have discovered who have
started in to wage war Of extermina-
ton against flies.
1t is not recorded that the anti-fiy
crusade in New York has seriously di-
minished the size of the swarms that
| breed about the mouths of the sewers
| In Massachusetts, a state from which
| the universe has frequently been re-
formed by theorists, and anti-fy COM
mission was constituted last spring or
the theory that warfare against the
house fly would bring peace to Yankee
| households. The fight was abandoned
before it was begun.
| The commissioners on looking into
the subject of flies found it complex
beyond expectation. Grave doubts even
were felt regarding the extent Of the
injuries caused by the common species
and, admitting the worst that is charg-
ed, the methods Of eliminating the evi
have not been scientifically developed
AS commissioner John Ritchie, of the
Boston board of health, said:
1T is a grave question how to go af-
ter flies in way that will be effective
in city and country"
1T was wise of this Massachusetts
commission" said professional dip
terist, "to study into the facts "a little
before launching their thunders against
the whole order of flies. There are
about 1000 distinct species Of diptera
in the United States, most of which
are harmless and often extremely ben
eficial little flies.
ANY wholesale destruction among
| these species, If such were possible in
the present state of our knowledge
| would cause more disease than il
would cure. The broad question of the
relationship of the different kinds OF
flies to each other, the conditions OF
their development and growth, theil
habits as regards the bearing Of dis
eases, should be more carefully studied
out before plans for determination are
even considered"
The enormity Of the work ahead OF
the economic entomologists staggers
the human imagination. The wonder is
not that there are so many individual
flies, fleas, mosquitoes, ants and bee.
ties Everybody accepts the host Of
them on faith if not by virtue of theil
works.
But the immense number Of separate
species is what astounds most per
sons to whom all flies look and al
wasps sting alike-that and the admit
ted ignorance even Of the experts about
the life history of the individuals o
many of these species. That is wha
seems to put the final triumph of bug
engineering far in the future.
Rather more than 100000 species o.
| insects are known to exist, with the
reasonable certainty that many more
will be discovered. Just to contain
brief descriptions of each a small libra
ry of books would be needed.
And in no single set Of books are
they all described. For the most par
the accounts are scattered in books
and scientific journals printed in vari
Gus languages and not ordinarily found
in the same library. So that when
ever in a given locality, as say in thu
valley of the Hackensack, a species /:
found that was not before known tC
exist in northern New Jersey, a Ions
search may be involved if the bug i:
one that has been described before il
connection with the fauna of some 9TH
er locality or whether, as is likely
something entirely new has been found
AS an example of the labor involved
and of the present extent of the un'
known insect study take the magnitude
of the task of gathering a complete
collection of the insects Of New Eng
land. It is probable that in no Other
part of North America with the eXcep'
ton of California has so much study
of insects been carried on, not only by
amateurs, but by specialists connected
| with tho great universities and q num-