The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1911-06-28
A LETTER ON LOCAL PESTS
Experimental Farm Superinten-
dent F. B. Headley Tells of
Local Insects
Fallon, New, June q, 1911.
Editor,
Standard Publishing Co,
Fallon, Nevada

Fallon, Nevada.
Dear Sir:
am quoting below from letter
from the State Entomologist, Prof. S.
B. Doten, in regard to the beetles that
were found in the sugar beet fields.
"As for the beetles which are doing
damage to the sugar beets in your sec
ton, | am surprised to note that this
native species has developed des-
truettve tendency in that region. Still,
this often occurs where a new food
plant IS introduced Should they be-
come very numerous it may be necess-
ary to arrange for field spraying with
arsenieals; though from the nature Of
the species at work | am declined to
hope that ts injury will not last long.
| am particularly interested in this
matter and should consider sit great
favor 4 you would keep me in touch
with il just as you have with the alfal-
ia plant.house; for it may prove TO be
Of much greater Importance than the
latter insect. Do you find the larvae,
the eggs, or any OF the earlier stages
of tie pest or do you simply find a
number of the beetles themselves at
work on the leaves? Does any grub or
maggot attack the beet itself in the
ground?
In speaking of the members of the
group to which your sugar beet beetle
belongs, j. B. Comstock of Cornell
University makes the following state
ment.
"These insects are commonest dur.
ing warm nights in May and June
which is tho principal time of fight
with these creatures. They are attract
ed to light. They belong to the genus
Lachnos,erna Of which we have more
than sixty species The adults fre-
guently do much injury by eating the
foliage of trees. ln the case Of large
trees this INJURY usually passes un-
noticed, but smaller trees are often
completely defoliated by them. When
they become troublesome they can
be easily gathered by shaking them
from the trees upon sheets.
"The lavrae of the different species
of May beetles are commonly elassed
together under the name Of white.
grubs. They are often great pests
in meadows and in cultivated fields.
We have known large strawberry plan
tations to he destroyed by them, and
have seen large patches Of ground in
pastures from which the dead Sod could
be rolled as one would roll up a carpet
from a floor, the roots having all been
destroyed and the ground just beneath
the surface fin. pulverized by these
larvae. No satisfactory method Of
fighting these pests has been discover
ed as yet. E"
From the foregoing account it would
seem that the trouble with these
beetles should be short-liyed unless
they lay eggs in the ground and the
eggs hatch out into grubs which feed
on the beets. The matter may prove
serions; but just at present think it
most highly advisable to keep as far
as possible from giving out the impress
sion that the sugar-beet industry Is
threatened in any important way
The papers are SO often inclined to give
too much Importance to matters which
are not of lasting harm. or course we
all desire the success. the entire sue
cess of the Truckee-Carson Project;
and we do not want to say word
which would tend to give it bad
name.
Very truly yours,
+ II HEADIEY