The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1908-10-15

phaga-lay their eggs in the bodies Of
the grasshoppers. Once Matched, the
grubs do the rest. Under date Of July
10, 1907. correspondent of the In
sect Bureau, writing from Coulee City,
in the State Of Washington, reported
that grasshoppers in that neighborhood
were dying by millions, and that in the
body of each was a worm" doubtless
the maggot Of one of these little flies.
Natures Balance.
Nature is trying all the time to pre-
serve a balance, and thus under ordi-
nary circumstances there are for every
kind Of insect of possible pestiferous-
ness a sufficient number Of enemies to
keep it in check. For instance, the
wheat nudge, or "red weevil," as it is
more popularity called, committed
frightful depredations during the years
from 1850 to 1855. But finally things
adjusted themselves so that proper
checks were established, and at the
present time, though the nudge often
becomes so abundant as to threaten Sc
rious injury to the crop, it never quite
reaches that point. The reason is sim.
ply that it's enemies keep it down. IF
those enemies were swept out Of ex-
istence, even temporarily, its ravages
would be on a disastrous scale.
A recent experiment was aimed at
the green bug"-a species of plant
louise which did enormous mischief i'll
the Southwest last year. In as much
as this insect begins its work in the
South, gradually extending it's opera
lions northward with the advance Of
the season, 1t seemed practicable to
collect great numbers Of specimens Of
it's principal enemy in the Southern
fields, and, by throwing them in adj
vance of the pest, to head it off, so
to speak. The attempt, however, was
not successful nature evidently pre-
ferring her own methods.
The Green Bugs Enemy.
The enemy referred to is a very
minute four-winged fly, called Lysiple-
bus. Crawling over an infested plant
it lays an egg in the body Of each
green bug it meets. The eggs thus
deposited quickly hatch, and the Larvae
feed upon the vitals Of the victims, pre-
venting them from breeding, and fin
ally killing them. At the end Of ten
days they cut their way out and ap-
pear SIS flies, ready to start the per-
Torrance over again by laying their
own eggs in more green bugs. By this
means the pest is soon disposed of. A
plague of green bugs (such as occurred
last year in Texas and Oklahoma, do
ing $20,OOO,000 worth of damage 10
wheat and oats) arrives only when a
cold spring follows a mild winter. I'm
der such conditions great numbers Of
the bugs live over the winter, multi
plying continuously, while their little
foes, which cannot breed when the
temperature is below Sc degrees, do
not have a chance to get in their work
until the season is far advanced.
The army worm Ito cite another eX
ample in point is a naked striped
caterpillar an inch and a quarter long,
which makes its appearance in early
summer, devouring grains and grasses
It climbs the seed stalks and cuts off
the heads Under favorable conditions
it multiplies in fabulous numbers, and,
migrating in search Of food, travels
and feeds both day and night, infiict
ing enormous damage. The crops
quickly disappear before the march of
its Unsuitable legions Eventually,