82 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I902. 



TREATMENT. 



As the thrips feeds by sucking the juices of the plants, contact 

 poisons, as kerosene emulsion, or whale oil soap, are the only 

 ones which are of use in combating it. 



Where only a small area is infested, one of the insecticides 

 just mentioned or even a liberal application of water will prove 

 successful in controlling the pest. When a large area is infested, 

 the application of an insecticide is not feasible on account of the 

 expense of materials and application. In such a case the burn- 

 ing of the dead stalks after the ground has frozen in the fall, so 

 as to secure a close burn, without injuring the roots of the grass, 

 may prove successful. With badly run out fields, which are the 

 ones most likely to be badly infested, the best remedy is deep 

 plowing in the fall or in the early spring before the grass has 

 started. If this is followed by thorough cultivation, none of the 

 insects will be able to make their way to the surface of the 

 ground. 



