The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-03-03
III YEAR LOCUSTS
SCHEDULED AGAIN
State Entomologist Douglas
Tells How to Avoid DAM
age by Spraying.

Indianapolis, March 3.-This is one
ance of the "seyenteen-year locust"
and Il. w. Douglas. state entomoloSist
state 10 take steps to prevent the dam
age which may be done by this insect.
With regard TO this pest, Mr.. Douglas
says:
We are beginning to have calls for
information relative to the appearance
of the seventeen-year locust. Many
fruit growers and nurserymen have
asked for information to guide them
| in their stock. The last appearance
of the locust. or, as it should be call
ed. the cicada. was in 1902. and the
possible reoccurrence OF the insect
this year is accounted for by the fact
that there are a number of different
broods of these insects, and they do
! do not all mature at the same time.
Seventeen.Years to Develop.
THE insect requires seventeen
years for its development from the
egg TO the adult, and the greater part
of this time is spent in the ground,
where ii feeds on the roots of various
plants. Some of the southern broods
require but thirteen years for their
development. and the common cicada
or "dogday harvest fly is full grown
! in two years. This two-ycar cicada is
"A familiar insect in many parts of the
state each year. be cause there are
two broods of them. and these two
broods overlap. so that we have the
| insects each season.
The seventeen-year cicada will ap-
pear in Indiana in but two counties
this year. Dearborn and POsev. These
counties have "A fair distribution of the
insects of what entomologists know
as Brood of the sevcnteen-year CT
cada. Brood %, which is the of the
| thirteen race, will make its appear
ancc in Indiana this season in the fol-
lowing counties: Bartholomew, Da-
viess, Fayette, Floyd. Gibson. Jackson,
Jennings, Knox, Montgomery, Owen,
Posey. Putnam. Ripley, Spencer. Sui
Ivan, Vanderburg, Vigo and Warrick
II may be that the insect will also be
present in some other southern coun-
ties. but the list includes those from
which there are authentic records.
Feared by Fruit Growers.
THE cicadas are feared by fruit
growers because of their habit of lay
ing their eggs in the twigs of trees
especially fruit trees. In orchards the
eggs are laid always in the under side
Of the branch and the wounds are eX.
cellent points of entrance for various
fungi which destroy the wood. The
/ eggs soon hatch ana the young in
sects emerge to fall to the ground.
They Immediately burrow in the soil
and are not seen again for years. They
live deep in the soil and seem to dis
appear in districts that are cultivated.
combining their distribution to wooded
sections. They seldom enter towns of
any size, and in this differ from the
two-year cicada which is common in
sect in indianapolis.
Il desire to get reports of the oc-
currence of the locusts when they APP
pear this season so that we can more
accurately map their distribution in
this state. For this reason we want
our friends in the south part of the
state to keep close watch for the in
sects.
Fruit growers need have but little
fear of great damage from the present
infestation. as the damage to fruit
trees can be prevented to very great
extent by spraying the trees with
bordeaux mixture. This is not an in.
sectcide, but acts as repellant and
the cicadas do not lay their eggs on
trees that are so sprayed"