Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-03-18
DESTRUCTION OF TERRAPN BUG
KIN the Pests Before They MULTIPLY
How to Do It.

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The following information issuing
From the North Carolina Agricultural
Experiment Station is Of decided In
terest and Importance to those in the
line Of it's beneicience.
The annual loss caused by terrapir
bugs sucking the life out Of collards,
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
aect 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 !: o
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 am or
will increase.
In November last this Station pub
lished 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-
bers 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 out
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. j..
When Egg Laying Commences.
W. could not consistently urge thu
task Of destroying the overwinterinE
bugs if they commenced to lay agg:
upon their first appearance. Careful
observation has shown that at leas
two weeks time elapses after tn
bugs appear before the first eggs ar
deposited. During this period the.
are very actively feeding and mating
and the majority will congregate OF
Ire few old plants left from las
e seasons wild mustard and turnip
- are favorite food plants, and collards
with their broad leaves, often harbo
"a large number of them.
The prime object Of this articl
is to emphasize the fact that the fa1
mer or gardener who watches close
iy for the first terrapin bugs to az
pear has about two weeks time t
Kill them m still prevent the m;
jority from laying eggs for the frs
generation.
Rate of Increase.
Have you ever considered tt
actual benefit that results from xii
ing one female terrapin bug whe
she first appears in spring? Obser7
the following statements: The ave
age number Of eggs laid by each b.
varies from eighty-four to ninety-s
that is, seven or eight masses
twelve eggs each, deposited over
period Of from four to eight weel
There are three full generations ca
year. Suppose we kill a single teri
pin bug and thus prevent ninety-s