CHAPTER XV 



FIGHTING INSECT PESTS 



Experts estimate that insects rob us each year of $400,- 

 000,000 worth of crops and $100,000,000 worth of forest 

 trees and lumber. Besides this monetary loss insects also 

 disseminate disease among our domesticated animals and, 

 worst of all, among ourselves. It is no wonder then that 

 the United States takes a lively interest in fighting insects. 



This fighting is done both by the Federal government 

 through its large and very effective Bureau of Entomology- 

 by far the largest and best such governmental bureau in 

 the world and through the offices of state entomologists 

 and state agricultural colleges and experimental stations. 

 Besides, millions of farmers, fruit-growers and stock-raisers 

 are doing a good deal of insect-fighting on their own account. 

 The fighting includes first of all the acquiring of a thorough 

 knowledge of the kinds of insects doing injury and their 

 life-history and habits. Only with this knowledge can the 

 most effective and economical means be devised for checking 

 them. Hence much of the work of the governmental and 

 state bureaus of entomology is the careful scientific study 

 of insect life in general. It is a direct outcome of such 

 study, for example, that the present widespread and suc- 

 cessful use of insect parasites as natural remedies for insect 

 pests has been developed. This method of insect fighting, 

 which is simply the encouragement and assistance of Nature, 

 promises soon to be the most important of all modes of 

 lessening the losses due to our insect enemies. 



In 1868 some young lemon and orange trees were brought 

 to Menlo Park, California, from Australia. These little 



180 



