The Meeker herald., 1916-05-13
FIGHTING THE hEssIAN FLY.
Pest 10 on the Increase and Should D.
comhatsd.

Pest 10 on the Increase and Should %
combatsd.
The 1918 wheat crop WAS cut down
to the extent OF several million hush
els by the depredations OF the Hessian
fly. says the Iowa Homestead. This
pest seems to be on the inrrcnse. and
! in those localities where 1t yLs made
its appearance wheat growers can well
afford to take certain precautions
against Its spreading.
The real damage to the wheat Is not
done by the mature hy. but rather by
the maggots or larvae. In a cOntribu-
tion to the Iowa Agriculturist Professor
r. l.. Webster points out that In some
cases as many as fifteen or twenty
lnnggots will appear OH single plant.
In this case so much nutriment Is tax
Ell up by these pests that the wheat
dies. and II the entire crop Is not to-
tai loss 1t is SO greatly injured that
the yield is materially cut down.
These insects cause wheat to lodge so
badly that 1t is almost impossible to
I take 1t up with n binder.
| In discussing control measures Pro
fessor Webster advises the blowing I'M
der of infected stubblc. After harvest
Is the best time to take measures
against the Hessian hy. All summer
| is spent in the tiaxseed stage on wheat
stubble where the insect can easily be
reached.
Stubblc may he burned over soon aft
or harvest. This destroys large per
rcntage of the insects. There are.
however, some undesirable features
about this measure. 1t does not get
| all the flnxseed. since some nre on the
plants below the soil. In Kansas. nc.
cor,ling to Messrs. Headlee and Parker.
blowing wheat stubble under was
/ found n more efficient measure than
| burning 1t over.
| Infested wheat stubble should he
diskcd Immediately after harvest. This
makes blowing easier and conserves
moisture Then three or four weeks
later the field should be plOwed under
! mt n depth OF six inches. completely
burying NIL stubblc.
Volunteer wheat allows the insect to
breed readily. and flies easily go from
| this to sown wheat. All volunteer
wheat should he destroyed by disking
and narrowing.
BY sowing wheat MS late as possible
and vet obtaining n good start much
benefit may he obtained. although
there is danger Of winter killing II
sowed too late. The idea In late SOW
Ing is that the wheat may come up at
II time in the fall when most of the
flies have disappeared.
Late sowing benefits only so far ms
the fall generation of the insect Is con-
ccrned. All wheat is liable to infec-
lion in the spring. 30 that late sown
wheat is open to injury then as well
| MS that sown early. But II late sown
| wheat escapes damage IN the fall the
chances for injury are greatly reduced
In the spring, since the minority OF the
flies will deposit eggs I'm the field
where they emerge.
! Not Infrequently late sown wheat be-
comes heavily infested In the spring.
This Is usually due to infestation from
other nearby wheat.
| Some fifteen years aso. In Ohio. +.
| NJ. Webster gave approximately safe
| dates mt which fall wheat may be
i seeded and escape severe injury by the
| Hessian fly. More recently. Hehdlec
! and Parker gave similar dates for til"
| wheat growing section of Kansas.
| From the Kansas dates and also from
observations by Professor Webster in
| southwestern Iowa 1t appears that
wheat sown Oct. l III the southern tier
| Of counties should escape the fall
brood OF the fly. For the latitude OF
central Iowa this date would be about
| Sept. %.
| Do not follow wheat with wheat. adj
vises Professor Webster. Many cases
of severe infestatIon by the fly occur
when wheat follows on old wheat
stubbIe. This IL because the insect Is
| carried over In the stubble or In vol
untcer wheat that comes up In the
stubble The chances for damage are
| always less where wheat follows some
other crop than wheat.
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