Philip weekly review. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 1907-1912, 1912-06-20
THE SEVENTEEN YEAR LO-
GUSTS

VO0A0
Over most of the southern half
of Iowa, the seventeen-year To-
Gusts have made their appearance
again. Early in June they began
coming out Of the ground, and by
the second week were thick in
the wooded sections. They have
been making the timber vibrate
with their song. In a few more
weeks they will be gone, not to
be seen again till the year 1929.
Sixty-eight years ago the To-
Gusts were first noticed in Iowa.
Since that time they have come
every seventeen years; 1874, 1861
1873, and 1895 were all locust
years. Possibly it was in the
year 1861, at the opening Of the
Civil war that the W-like black
mark at the tips of the wings wa
first said to stand for war. Ger
tain Iowa politicians might this
year think that the 'W' still
has significance.
The seventeen-year locust is al
unusual creature. So utterly help
less is it that it would be wiped
from the face Of the earth in a
few years if it did not spend SO
per cent of it's time underground,
safe from all enemies.
Anyone interested in nature wi
find it worth while to watch the
seventeen-year locust closely. The
entomologists who have studied
the locusts for more than 200
years have interesting stories
to tell Of their habits. They say
that only the males sing-that
they do this by means Of two
drum-like arrangements on the
front section of the lower part
of their abdomen. They tell us
that the males do no harm what
ever to man, beast, tree or shrub
but that the females, in laying
their eggs, damage young wood
of all kinds of trees and shrubs,
but especially oaks and hickories
On the hind part of the female s
abdomen is a sharp, knifelike in
strument with which she cuts be-
meath the bark in laying her eggs
This is the only serious damage
done by the locust.
The eggs are laid in the tree
twigs in June. In July they
hatch into ant-ike creatures, one
twelfth of an inch long. These
drop to the ground at once, and
burrow into the soil. Here for
sixteen and a half years they liv'
on plant roots. They grow very
slowly but every two or three
years they split their skin and
grow a new one.
At the end Of the sixteenth
year they are curious, grub-likt
creatures.nearly an inch long
When they come from the groun'
in the spring Of the seventeenth
year they are still grublike ant
wingless. TO make their change
they climb trees and shrubs il
the early evening. The outel
shell is split open and an almos
pure white creature comes out
On it's shoulders are small, whit
pads. These swell so fast that i
you watch closely you may SCI
the wings grow. In twenty min
utes, they are half grown. In les
than an hour they are full
grown and the locust is now al
adult. 1t is still pure white
but by the next morning the col
or will be darker, and in /;
few days it will look just lik
any other dark brown locusts.
| In a few more weeks the locus
will be gone, and some of us
at least will be sorry. Wha
damage they do is more than re
paid by interest in the wonderful
processes Of nature which the,
awaken in old and young. Whel
next the Iowa brood of seventeen
year lOcusts looks on the world
may it find an even stronger, ha
pier people than are in the com
monwealth of l9l2.-Wallace