The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-08-17
SET A BUG TO CATCH A BUG.
Best Way Of Getting Rid of Insects
That DO Incredible Damage.

nave to pay for the work G. -. s
that eat our crops and desE our
products" says Samuel hopkins
Adams in the American Magazine.
"Of the seventy-two species whose
appetites run we'll up into the millions
of dollars annually thirty-five have
come to us from other countries.
I'm the year 1895 there arrived in
| Texas via the Mexican border a small
and unconsidered immigrant which
has since had much to do with the
rise and fall of one Of the worlds
important crops. This was the cotton
boil weevil.
ITO fight this pest, from Guatemala
were imported numbers of large and
voracious ant, the kelep, which kills
and eats the cotton boil weevil in that
part of the world. Unfortunately the
kelep pined and died in exile. Anoth-
er ant, the fire ant, was next ex-
perimented with, while it did we'll it
has not as yet gained the upper hand
1.-The men of science then set about
one of the most remarkable and in
genlous experiments ever attempted
Around the cotton fields of the South
grow fringes Of ragweed upon which
breeds species Of weevil closely al
lied to the destroyer of cotton.
These harmless weevils are para
sitized by an icheumon fly which de-
stroys them by laying it's eggs in the
bodies of the young of the weayil.
After sedulously studying the nature
and habits of the fly the government
etomOlOgist could see no reason WHY
1t shouldn't be induced under pres sure
to alter its diet to boil weevil.
"A number of the parasites we're
raised in captivity and the choice was
given them of committing race suicide
or laying their eggs in the boil wee
vii. They chose the weevil.
The eggs Matched, the weevils i'm
the experiment station were DESTROY
ed and there remained only to repeat
the experiment in the open. Word
was sent to the Texas farmer to
cut down the weeds around the cotton
fields at the proper time of the year,
just before the egg laying time of the
parasitic fly. Many of them di6 so.
THE problem worked out with
mathematical exactness as follows:
First, the ragweed being cut dc own,
the habitant weevils perished for lack
of home and food. Next. the fe-
male parasite fly, heavy with eggs.
sought about for a host to carry and
hatch the brood, and found all the
prospective victims dead.
only few wingbeats away stood
the cotton rich in weevils. It wasn't
the exact species to which the egg
layer was accustomed, but it would do
at pinch. So the surprised weeyils.
unable to escape or resist the fly
found themselves full of strange eggs
and painful feelings and presently
died, to the great profit Of the plant
alton owner.
1.-The San Jose scale. as il is now
called in this country, was imported
by a collector of plants at San Jose.
CAL, probably from Australia. In q
few years it had spread enormous]v
and was simply wiping out the or
ange crop wherever it gained a foot
hold. Working in conjunction with
the progressive State authorities of
California the United States bureau
or entomology sent an emissary to
Australia, where the scale was discov-
cred in what was then supposed to be
Its original environment With the
Australian scale and preying upon its
eggs was found a small red and black
ladybird. the Novis Cardinals.
"One hundred of these were brought
back to California by Mr.. Kobele. bred
and distributed. To the terrified and
'NOFNASoA VI dhSc growers the result
must have seemed miraculous. Within
TWO years from the time when the
flrst ladybird began to breakfast on
scale eggs the victory was completely
won.
1T was more than a victory: il
was slaughter. Since then the white
scale, while it is not wholly elimi-
mated and never will be, has ceased
TO be an element of peril to the citrus
orchards of California.
1T is an axiom Of science that an
imported insect, if it succeeds in ac-
climatizing itself at all, flourishes in
ITS new home better than in its native
lahd. This is particularly true of
America where the climate seems TO