New Britain herald., 1928-06-04
II YEAR LOCUST IS
Seen IN THIS CITY
Emerging From Ground to Ban
Quet on Green Foliage

Wh-r-r-r-Z-Z-Z-Z. a sound as OF
millions of tiny airplanes. The day of
resurrection for the 11-year locust is
here. Emerging from their under
ground sleeping places where they
have lived in a dormant state for the
past Il years, these picturesque
, beautiful but devastating insects
have arrived in New Britain. They
will live their whole active lives, de-
Nelop. eat. mate, raise young ones
grow old and die within the next six
weeks.
! he insects We're seen Yesterday in
at least two places i'll the west part
of the city. A man building per-
COLA saw clusters OF them, while
along the old canal west of Barnes
dale and towards Southington
sWarms of them We're Seen. They
have not yet become active, but are
emerging from the ground, leaving
holes as large around as a pencil and
are making for the nearest trees or
ether foliage. where they We're found
banging yesterday. still slightly dor
mant. A few more days of hot
their way over gardens and fruit
trees. much to the detriment of all
growing things. Even yesterday few
empty shells We're found, indicating
that the advance guard is taking TO
the air already.
The cina1o ,.ao, Io,,,r,
enerses from the ground as a grub
or worn, in a shell like armor, from
which it proceeds to divest himself,
much like a fat man struggling out
OF tight fitting suit OF clothes. lie
leaves hole in the ground and on
his travels up the nearest tree leaves
behind him the shell. still in the
shape of the living insect, suggesting
nothing quite so much as the ghost
of the creature.
When it first cmcrceS from this
skin the locust has small. white. al
most useless wings. Before the day
is over these wings have grown large
and strong, and the cicada can fly
and buzz
After it assumes this winged form
the locust enjoys only six weeks of
open air lite. The females begin at
once TO lay eggs. cutting places in
the branches of fruit trees for this
purpose, thus causing much harm,
IN" eggs hatch out in few weeks,
producing small grubs which drop 10
the ground, and, following the roots
OF trees and plants burrow beneath
the surface. For II years they re-
main underground, occasionally go
ing deeper, sometimes from two to
eight feet deep. At the end of the
long sleep they approach the surface
finally breaking through. During the
II years they are underground they
mott four times the first time a year
or IS months after they are Matched,
then two years later, then three
years afterwards and finally four
years after that The front legs Of the
grub while underground are strong
and its jaws are of the cutting type.
TINS being to help in the digging
process. The insect after It reaches
tho air is between an inch and half
TO two inches long It is black, with
orange on the abdomen. and has six
red legs. Bright red spots on its
head resemble tiny headlights. 1t has
Two large wings extending back be-
You'd its body. by which 1t can be
picked up md held. These wings are
transparent gossamer like webs, with
Il net work of orange blue veins, and
are marked with a distinct wv"
The w" has a peculiar appeal to
supcrsti,ious people and in less en-
liShtened ages was taken TO be q
prediction OF coming wars. Others
have believed that there is Il danger
GUS sting to the insect. Outside of
the fact that they are ruinous to
crops. the locust is harmless and is
considered a great delicacy by chick
ems and other poultry. 1t does no
harm to fruit trees or crops, 1t is
said. except to rob them temporarily
of their foliage.
The II year locust is at home in
Connecticut. New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland. West Virginia
and parts of North and South Caro-