The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-02-24
17-YEAR LOCUSTS
DUE THIS SPRING.

Farmers Warned OF Coming of Peri
odicaI Cicada That Destroy
Branches OF Trees-Have Letter
"W'' on Wings.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey in
common with much of the balance
of the eastern part of the United
States, will soon be entertaining
many millions of infrequent and en-
tirely unwelcome visitors, according
to the Doylestown Intelligencer.
These are the periodical cicada or,
as they are better known, seventeen
year locusts.
The last visitation of these insects
here was in 1894, when they caused
much damage to vegetation, especi-
ally young trees. The brood which
infests the country east of the APP
palachian mountains and from north
ern New York to North Carolina, is
known to entomologists who have
studied it as Brood II.
There are other broods in various
parts of the country, despatch from
LAWRENCE, Kansas. saying that Pro-
fessor P. A. Gleen, of the Depart
ment of Entomology of the Univer-
sity of Kansas, is already preparing
to observe a brood which is expect
ed to appear there in the next three
months.
DR.. Henry Skinner, curator of the
Academy of Natural Sciences in Phil
adelphia, has been much interested
in observing the periodical cicada
during former appearances and will
continue his Investigations during
the coming summer.
I'VE are practically in the centre
of the territory covered by Brood
| H." said DR.. Skinner. They are
most plentiful in New Jersey, where
they are reported in great numbers
in every county of the State on each
appearance. Naturally, Pennsylva-
MIA has it's share.
THE locusts have a well-defined
! letter w on their wings, formed by
the nerves of the wings and years
ago it was common for ignorant and
superstitious people to cling to the
belief that this was a certain portent
of war.
THE larvae of the insects live un-
derground, feeding on the roots of
trees and shrubs, for seventeen
/ years, when the insects emerge into
the outer air with wings. The aver
age life is three weeks. Their first
appearance is generally coincident
with the appearance of warm wealth
er and they disappear with the COM
ing of cold weather. But during the
summer of their winged existence
the females deposit eggs in the twigs
and branches of trees, boring holes
for this purpose, and the twigs and
branches thus penetrated die. This
is about the extent of the actua
damage chargeable to the insects
although the failure of any kind Of
a crop while the locusts are in eX
istence is generally laid at theil
door. They have no weapons tC
avail against man and may bt
handled with impunity."
The Department of Agriculture
has issued a pamphlet by c. l.. Mar
latt, entomologist and assistant chic
: of the Bureau of Entomology, setting
forth what is known of the brooC
and inviting reports from observer
during the coming summer. Thi
shows that the brood has been re
ported regularly at SeVenteen-yea
intervals in New Jersey since 177I
and in Connecticut since 1924.
THE most reliable means of pro
tecting nurseries and young or
chards," says the pamphlet, lis b.
collecting the insects in bags or um
brellas from the trees in the earl
= morning or late evening, when the
are somewhat torpid. Such collec
2 tions should be undertaken at tn
= first appearance of the cicada an
repeated each day"