South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-07-06
BEST WAY To FIGHT
HESSIAN FLY IS
BY STARVATION
Destroy All StubbIe, Volunteer
Wheat, PIow Under Ruined
FIELDS and Do Not Sow Until
After Fly Free Date.

WAsHINGTON, July S. - The loss
in the 1915 wheat crop from the raw
AGES OF the Hessian ty in some sec
tiOns Will be the greatest In several
years From late May or June TO
October 1914, the department issued
repeated warnings ana ADVISORY
statements telling OF the Impending
danger of a serious outbreak of the
pest during the year 1918 il is now
too late 10 do anything toward les
sening the devastatiOns OF the Hes
sian hy in this years crop. Now Is
the time however, 10 begin the work
Of saving from the rs the millions of
acres OF wheat which Will be planted
on the present infested area within
the next few months.
In order 10 understand the situa-
ton fully IL is necessary 20 know
what the hy is like, how II is capable
OF causing such enormous losses, and
how il transforms from the egg TO the
fully developed insect. Comparatively
few farmers are able 20 recognize
this pest. excepting in what is known
as the "haxseed" stage, which even
then is often mistaken for the egg.
Two Generations i'm Year.
There are two generations OF the
Hessian fly each year, one IN the fall
and one in the following spring, the
latter being the children Of the
former. Therefore, if there were no
flies 10 lay eggs in the fall, 1t stands
10 reason that there could be none to
lay eggs in spring.
In the course OF it's Development
the insect passes through four differ
ent stages. The adult is a small long
legged dark-cOlOTed fly, very much
resembling small mosquito. The egg
is very small, long. slender. and of a
shining color, and rs placed 10y the
female flo n tn g. grooves ON the rIDBeT
surface of the wheat leaves, both in
spring and fall The maggOt matches
from the egg, makes it's way down
the leaf. and wedges itself between
the leaf sheath and the stalk of the
plant. where in some cases a dozen or
more may be found partly overlap
ping one another When 10 becomes
fun grown its skin hardens. changing
GO brown, and from its form and color
II is then commonly known as the
"daNseed." which is the pupal or rest
ing stage of the insect
Hatch i'm April.
Beginning about April l. flies
emerge from the "flaXseed" that have
passed the winter in the fall wheat,
whether early sOwn or volunteer.
These flies deposit their eggs on the
leaves OF the upinfested plants the
eggs hatch into maggOts in from four
20 eight days and the maggOts be-
come grown in about 20 to 30 days
and then change To "haxseeds." This
constitutes the spring generation.
After harvest the "laxseed" of this
generation can be found in the stub
BILE just above the ground, or often
higher up where the straw has broken
over.
While, as stated, the HeSsian fly
energies from the "faXseed" stage
throughout an extended period Of
time within the entire area Of its dis
tribution, in any given locality this
emergence of the adults in destruct-
i've abundance occupies but few
days. The life of the female after
she makes her way forth from the
'fiaxseed." probably does not extend
beyond "A period of five or six days.
Thus II is that a delay in wheat SOW
ing i'm the fall until after the flies
have appeared and largely disappear
cd becomes of such vital Importance.
second Crop i'm August.
The first flies of the second or fall
generation begin To issue from the