The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1911-04-28
ASPARAGUS 'MlNER"
\ MENACE TO CROP
Eastern Growers are Told How to Dis
tinkuish and Combat Pest-lt is
iarVa of Black Fly

Asparagus farmers in the East
have doubtless noticed the ruptureC
and roughened appearance of Ger.
tain of the asparagus stalks and al.
so are brittleless, which allows them
! to be pulled from the ground with
out much effort. If they have been
somewhat observant Of the cause OF
this, perhaps they have noticed
small swarms of minute black flies
which invest their beds and alight
upon the stalks frequently.
The flies are the cause Of the
trouble and it is their larva that
mines beneath the epidermis, OF
outer skin, of the asparagus stalk,
and causes the ruptured appearance
of the skin, and from this habit OF
burrowing beneath the epidermis
the larva is known as the "aspara-
gus miner"
It was first noticed in the aspara-
gus growing sections of New Eng
land, where it appeared in 1896
and attracted considerable attention
in those sections by its abundance
during that season. In that year,
too, it was first noticed in the as
paragus growing sections of Long
Island, and it has since become
widespread in many of the United
Safes and bids fair, unless aspara-
gus growers unite to stamp it out,
to become pest of considerable
Importance.
The presence of the insect may be
detected by the ruptured appearance
of the skin of the stalk. 1t operates
more abundantly near the base, fire.
quently to such an extent as to have
the effect Of girding the stalk, 50
that the affected plants may be pull
led readily from the ground.
The parent insect is two-winged
fly, metallic black in color and hav-
ing prominent head and eyes. The
wings are clear and have an expanse
of about one-sixth of an inch. The
larva, or asparagus miner" proper
is about one-ifth of an inch long
and of milk white color. Like
other maggots, it is footless and
large at the posterior extremity,
tapering toward the head. The egg,
just after being deposited by the
parent fly, is red in color and looks
somewhat like small scale.
The miner was observed very
infinitely on truck farm at Brook
land, in the District of Columbia
by officials of the Agricultural De-
partment, during the month of
June. A few flies were seen on the
terminal shoots of the asparagus
that showed signs of willing and
many volunteer" plants were bad
ly infested. 1t was observed that al
though the stems break off just be-
low the ground line, the entire col
ony of insects below that point is
left with sufficient moisture and
nourishment for their maintenance.
The puparia, or young miners, in
their developing stages, were pre-
sent in large numbers under the
outer skin OF the root. They were
also, found in rotting stalks.
The Department of Agriculture,
at Washington in treatise on the
subject, offers the following sugges-
tions for its control and possible ex-
tinction: In spring permit few
volunteer asparagus plants to grow
as trap crop, to lure the fly from
the main crop or cutting beds, for
the deposition of her eggs. After
this has been accomplished the trap
crop should be destroyed by pulling
the infested plants and burning
them with the puparia contained.
The time to pull the plants will vary
somewhat according to locality and
also according to the season. The
second or third week in June would
be about the right time in and near
the District of Columbia, and on
Long Island it ought to be done a
week or two later-the third or
fourth week, or even the last week.
according to the development of the
plants which are coming on in the
cutting beds. These plants must
be destroyed before the end of the
cutting season or they will provide