THE CHINCH BUG IN MAINE- 29 



usually remain below the surface of the ground, sucking the 

 juices from the bases of the stems. When nearly mature they 

 sometimes move higher up and so come to work above ground. 

 If feeding on grain the whole brood, larvae and adults, crawl off 

 into nearby fields of corn or other food material when the grain 

 is cut. They have been known to thus travel en masse, for over 

 a quarter of a mile. There is also usually a migration from the 

 feeding places to suitable places for hibernation during the warm 

 days of early fall. 



ENEMIES AND CHECKS. 



It is reported that the chinch bug is devoured in considerable 

 numbers by the common quail in some parts of the Central and 

 Western States. Its other bird enemies include the prairie 

 chicken, red-winged blackbird, catbird, brown thrush, meadow 

 lark and house wren. 



In Oklahoma Pekin ducks have been found to eat them readily. 

 Frogs are also known to eat them, and a few insects, including 

 lady-birds, one or two beetles, and two or three near relatives 

 of the chinch bug itself also feed upon them to some extent. 



Certain fungi have been found to attack chinch bugs normally 

 and with one or two of these field experiments have been carried 

 on rather extensively in some parts of the W^est, notably in 

 Kansas and Indiana. The fungus has been grown in quantity 

 in the laboratory under conditions favorable for its rapid multi- 

 plication and the spores have then been sent to localities in which 

 chinch bugs were abundant and there sown among the bugs. 

 In many instances the healthy bugs, in both larval and adult 

 stages, have rapidly become infected with the fungus and have 

 been speedily killed by its growth within them. However, the 

 fungus requires for its own activity continued wet or damp 

 weather, and appears to be practically worthless except under 

 such conditions. 



The weather itself is in all probability the most powerful factor 

 in checking the increase of the chinch bug. The adult bug seems 

 very little affected by moisture, but the larval insect, in all stages, 

 more especially the earlier ones, are very soon killed by wet 

 weather. If, therefore, frequent rains occur during the larval 

 season of early summer, the bugs are considerably reduced in 

 numbers and the amount of injury is much less than during dry 

 seasons. 



