Evening journal., 1914-03-11
BUG FAMILY
COSTS UNCLE
MUCH MONEY
Government Will Spend $780,
900 This Year in Extermin-
atinG Parasites
ROLL WEVIL THE
A(R.T DESTROYER

"a ~ DA<o n AaeV ~
WASHINGTON. March H.. - Bugsl
Bugs that n, and bugs that burrow,
hugs that bite. and bugs that sting,
his bugs and tiny bugs. lady bugs,
and bugs anything but lady-like, are
going to cost the Federal govern
ment SS0O.0O0 in real money dur
ing the fiscal year OF 1915. That is
the amount carried in the Agricul
tural bin now before Congress. Dr.
=. O. Howard. chief of the bureau
of entomology. and Uncle sam
champion bug hunter, as pointed
out. however. that these insects viii
cost the country fully 100 times that
amount in cotton destroyed; corn and
wheat and other grain crops injured /;
forests devastated, root crops ruined
and fields laid almost bare. Il Is to
stop such ravages as these that the
bureau is maintained. That 1t saves
its cost every year is easily demon
strated by statistics.
The biggest bug from a standpoint
of destructiveness is the boil weevil,
which Is slowly but certainly retreat
ing before the desperate attacks of
government scientists. But the
"sinews Of war provided by the ap-
Precipitation bill are also wanted for
campaign against the gypsy moth
that attacks tree foliage, the horn
worm that destroys tobacco plants,
and the cane insect that lays low
cane fields. the alfalfa weevil that
attacks that crop, the cinch bug that
sucks the life from wheat and corn
stalks. the codling moth that spoils
tree fruits. the pine beetle and the
bark beetle. The latter insect Is a
serious menance TO the national and
private forests because II destroys
millions OF feet of standing timber.
The cotton red spider also has been
condemned as a public enemy. and
two new menaces that have slipped
past the immigration authorities are
the Argentine ant which ruins grow
ing tobacco and the Australian po-
tato-tuber moth. This latter pest
laws its eggs In young potatoes with
the result that when the farmer digs
them he finds a large caterpillar in
side each tuber eating i6 meals a
day. And finally there is a lot TO be
done in the way of reducing the num-
ber of house flios and stable flies.
feared than crop failures.
We have undertaken an extensive
study of the house fly - said Dr.
Howard. on this point In the small
farm and village 30 per cent. of the
house flies are bred in stable refuse
and we have been cooperating with
the bureau OF chemistry 10 find some
substance that will Kill the fly larvae
IIs4ft. tH..It
of the refuse We have found recently
that there are one OF two such sub
stances which may be used at an
economical rate. ] think we are on
the verge of a very practical discOv
cry which win be OF great value In
the way of reducing the house fly
pest
"Ne have several lines OF work now
going ON IN regard TO the effect Of in.
sccis upon the health OF man and ami
mails Wc wish in the first place to com.
plrtc the records Oi longevity of the
cattle ticks. Then. as 10 stable flies,
this insect has been shown 10 be I'M
strumcutal IN the. carriage of mianiilc
paralysis. We also expect TO under.
take a series of malarial fever studies
rnd the Economies OF malarial moSqui
ios IN order 20 provide remedies for
ihc requirements OF plantations. es.
pcciallv in the Mississippi delta where
malaria is so rife, tho idea being TO find
out what can be done in the way OF
protecting people from their bites, and
what can be- done TO destroy che mos
quitos in their breeding places. The al.
ialfa weeVil is serious problem in
Utah and has spread 10 Wyoming and
other neighboriug states As is always
done in case OF this kind the bureau OF
entomology has secured the world for
parasites to attack The new enemy Two
such have beeu imported. one from
Italy and another from southern France
The alfalfa wecvil fortunately cannot
ily but IL gets into freight cars along
the track. into bales OF hay for ship.
ment and seems to know by instinct
how to secure free transportation.
The boil gecyil. which Is capable OF
extended flights. is much more difficult
20 deal with. Much has been done "a
control it bv burning cotton stalks af.
ter the crop has been picked and by
introducing parasites. Dr. W. d. Hun.
ter, in charge of southern field crop In.
sect investigations for the bureau, says
that records extending back so years
la some instances show that the boil
weevil never voluntarily leaves ter
ritory it once invades. I'VE have fount
that the weevil has already acquired q
considerable number OF parasites in this
country said DR.. Hunter in telling ol
the war on the cotton pest. "That is
there are parasitic enemies of related
weevils which have transferred then
attacks from their original hosts TO the
boil weeyil when it came into new ter
ritoIy."
The introduction of parasites has beer
particularly successful in the wal
against the gyppsy moth and DR.. How
ard estimates that last year 80 pei
cent. OF the moths in New England were
killed on by parasites imported from
Europe and Japan The present in
vested areas are the whole OF Nassa
plnseti as fal west as the Connecticut
Riv,q. the southern half of New Hamp
shire the southern border of Maine
running hall way np the seacoast an'
one on two colonies in Vermont. Their
are isolated colonies Ia the Berksbircs
two in Connecticut near Stonington an'
Hartford and one in Rhode Island.