The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1909-03-18
DESTRUCTION OF TERRAP1N BUG
Kill the Pests Before They Multiply
How to Do It.

How to Do It.
The following information issuing
from the North Carolina Agricultural
Experiment Station is of decided in
terest and Importance to those in the
line of its beneicience.
The annual loss caused by terrapin
bugs sucking the life out of collardg,
cabbages, turnips and allied plants is
difficult to estimate accurately, but
certainly amounts to thousands of
dollars in North Carolina. A large
proportion of this loss may be pre-
vented if farmers, gardeners and
truckers will take the trouble to col
lect or in some way destroy the bugs
that first appear this spring. We
have conclusive evidence that such
work may be made a paying invest
ment. We cannot, however, con
tinue to wait, as is usually done, until
the bugs become so numerous as 20
cause very noticeable injury in gar
dens or fields, but on the contrary
they must be destroyed before they
commence to lay eggs; otherwise the
annual loss Will remain the same or
will increase.
In November last this Station pub
ished a press bulletin urging farm
erS to Immediately collect and kill
the terrapin bugs, then in their fields,
to prevent their living in such num-
bels through the winter. Now it
seems advisable to urge the equally
important work of destroying those
individuals that escaped last fall, and
which will sOon commence to come ous
from their winter hiding quarters.
Only Adult Bugs Survive the Winter.
Eggs and young bugs do not live
through the winter in this State:
hence it is only full-grown, strong,
adult males and females which sur
vive by finding favorable alternating
quarters under rubbish around the
gardens. under stones, in fence cor
ners and similar places, where they
are protected from the weather. AS
this has been a mild winter, they are
liable to appear in greater numbers
than usual in the spring.
When Egg Laying Commences.
We could not consistently urge the
task Of destroying the Overwhelming
bugs if they commenced to lay aggs
upon their first appearance. Careful
observation has shown that at least
two weeks time elapses after the
bugs appear before the first eggs are
deposited. During this period they
are very actively feeding and mating.
and the majority will congregate on
the few old plants left from last
seasons wild mustard and turnips
are faTorite food plants, and collards,
with their broad leaves, often harbor
a large number of them.
The prime object of this article
IS to emphasize the fact that the far
mer Or gardener who watches close
ly for the first terrapin bugs to ap-
pear has about two weeks time to
XII them and still prevent the ma
Jor1ty from laying eggs for the first
generation.
Rate of Increase.
Have You ever considered the
actual benefit that results from kill
ing one female terrapin bug when
She first appears in spring? Observe
the following statements: The aver
age number of eggs laid by each bug
varies from eighty-four to ninety-six
that is, eve or eight masses of
twelve eggs each, deposited over a
period of from four to eight weeks.
There are three full generations each
year. Suppose we kill a single terra
pin bug and thus prevent ninety-six