Graham guardian., 1921-11-18
KEEPING THE BUGS OUT is JOB
FOR THE STATE ENTOMOLOCIST

To maintain a quarantine fence of
fine enough mesh to keep out Of the
state bug or collection OF bugs no
Digger than mldges, Is something OF an
undertaking. Yet, in sense, that is
the task that perpetually confronts
Don G. Mote, State Entomologist for
Arizona, and his staff of assistants.
In asking Mr.. Mote how he goes
about shoong them away, number Of
interesting facts were elected.
AS all ArizOnans know, the States
principal field crops are alfalfa and
cotton, and each are menaced by very
serious Dangers from the outside.
Arizona and California constitute the
only cotton growing States in the
| United States free from cotton boil
weevil. The damage done in our South
ern States by this insect is notorious;
but bad as is the cotton boil weevil, an
even worse pest is the pink boil worm,
which found it's way from India to
Egypt and from Egypt to Old Mexico,
and now has finally crossed the Rio
Grande into parts of Texas, Louisiana
and New Mexico.
Naturally during Mexico's series of
revolutions there was no chance in
that country to look after insect pests,
and in the Laguna district, laying to
the south of Texas, the entire territory
is overrun with the pink boil worm
which, it is estimated, takes a toll of
from fifty to eighty percent of the en-
tire crop.
So much for the dangers on our
eastern and southern borders. From
the north and west the menace of the
agriculturist of Arizona lies in the
alfalfa weevil. From a small infesta-
tion, which appeared in Utah several
years age, the range has spread until
it now covers practically all the ag--
ricultural area of Utah, Idaho, and
parts of Nevada. 1t is still spreading,
having this last summer been found in
patch Of alfalfa growing in an auto
mobile camp on the Nevada--C California
line.
Insect infestation travels along two
principal lines. The first is by natural
flight, or the movement from field to
field in cultivated country, where
crops upon which it feeds lie close en-
ough together for the insect to go from
one to another. A second mode of in,
festation occurs when the insect is
carried in some conveyance like
freight car, or by automobile.
Fortunately from this standpoint
Arizona is very we'll surrounded by the
desert or other non-farming territory,
so the danger of predatory bugs CON-
ing by natural movement from field to
field is reduced to a minimum On the
other hand, the danger of infestation
along the usual routes of commerce
and travel is always present, and it is
against this mode Of ingress that the
State Commission of Agriculture and
Horticulture, through the State Ento--
mologist, plans its principal defense. !
The easiest way for bug to travel
Is to go like the hobo - in a freight car,
though the bug is more difficult to find
and put off. Not only do cotton insects
(for example) find hiding place in
such commodities as cotton and cotton
seed, and the alfalfa weevil secrete
itself in alfalfa hay, but these pests
may also be found in many kinds of
farm produce.
So, as preliminary, Arizona's
quarantine regulations prohibit ship
ments Of practically all kinds OF farm
products, likely to carry these pests,
from districts where cotton boil
weevil, pink boil worm or alfalfa
weevil are found; and in the case of
coming into the State
from such districts their household
goods, impliments and farm machin-
cry are carefully inspected, and,
when it seems necessary, their bag
gage as we'll All contraband arti.
cles must either be sent out Of the
State by the owner or burned
AS no normal person would willing,
ly "desire to infest country with
plant disease or harmful insects, the
danger Of people bringing them in,
in personal shipments, comes usual.
ly from carelessness or ignorance.
A dealer will want to ship a carload
of potatoes to Arizona from Idaho;
the bags, in which he sacks them,
perhaps have previously been used
about alfalfa products; weevil
hides in the folds OF a bag, and II
not stopped by quarantine laws would
go with the shipment to destination.
An alfalfa weevil was found in
Los Angeles this summer, brought