New Britain herald., 1930-08-23
CORN B0RERS BRED
 AS AN EXPERIMENT
Scientists Raise Pest to Aid in
 Warfare

Arlington Mass, Aug B - Four million European corn horers are being raised in the T. s. corn borer laboratory here with as much care as infants would receive.
 The purpose of this insect rais- ing is to determine what parasites attack the corn horer and what odors attract it to corn plants. Then f IS hoped 10 rid this country Of one of it's worst insect pests.
 When tho European corn horer vas first discovered in this country in 1al7. there were no known enc mics Of it existing h1rc. Pue few wore known ln Europe. and species os these insects Were brought to this country Tor propagation
 This parasite raising is also car red out ar the corn borer laboratory here, n addition 10 raising the bor- DTS, and officials n charge are con- s'antiy releasing 7ha parasites to war OIL the borers. The results are check ed closely.
 Parasite Borer Bout
 Tn the wards Of the laboratory grounds are insectarles, where hor- CTS are raised in masses, crawling into trays filled with corrugated pa per cases m which are numerous inv holes where the larvae hide. one species Of parasite, known as the Apanteles Thompsoni consisting of females only. are about 5 10 3o per cent effective ln killing borers. Eggs Of these insects are lad among the larvae and eggs Of the bo~ers and as they hatch consume the living bodies Of the grub
 In addition 10 thIs species of :u- sect many others are raised As their worth is demonstrated hN ezpori- mental attacks on tho horer they arc gathered prorared and shipped to various parts Of the country for the use Of farpors.
 One o1 the earliest facts dlscov- cred about the corn borer IS that the moth flies al night. Thus, since it cannot see tho growing corn and many other farm crops on which i' feeds. such as heers. rhubarb. celery. beans, oats. peppers, spinach and flower plants, it must find it's way o its food by sense Of smell The odors given eff by various parts of the corn plant hold more attraction for the borer moth than any other.
 React to 900 Odors
 Knowing that odors were what al tracted the moth. research workers sat about finding those that were most pleasing 10 1T. In tho course of this work some 900 different oIors were found and isolated
 To determine what odors attract el the moth the most 2 curious ula- chine called the "olfactometer' was devised by enomolosists, l. consists Of an arrangement of T-shaped pipes through which warm air is drawn and into which horer moths are put for the odor tests.
 The moths 10 he tested arc placed at rho junction Of the Siaores CT the TT" pipes. in one Of which has boen placed a piece oc h.O,-ng paper with a drop ot the. oder uzed for eXpcri- rrart. The other sleeve IS empty and the moth is left 10 choose where she shall go.
 T. has hecn learned that she will enter tho sleeve where certain at- tractive odors placed at different times. are located These odors in elude those distilled from juice of parts CT the corn and from certain weeds. 4 continuation Of odors from different pa~-z of corn has been found most attractive.
 seek to Prevent spread
 With this apparatus it has been easy 10 find out what odors attract the moth and. knowing the plants from which the- were made, to learn what other work can ba made pre- yentative as well as eradiCauNe.
 Dr. C. x. Batchelder. associate en- tonologjst at the laboratory, believes that humans have distinctive odors, much like the various plants. He says that when scientific means are eventually established of detecting and classifying odors, they will pro- vide a source as indehble and as re- liable as finger printing for deter mining the indentity of persons, since every person has an odor diff ferent from that Of anyone else.
 There is nothing in tho world and no place in the world that does not have it's distinctive odor he believes.