30 MAIXE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIOX. I903. 



THE CHINCH BUG IN MAINE. 



The chinch bug has been in Maine for some time, its presence 

 being known in the grass lands about Fryeburg as much as 

 thirty-five years ago."^' During the past ten years it has been 

 reported from Bridgton, Bethel, Jackman and Orono, at which 

 last named place it has been found in a pasture near the village 

 and also under leaves in w^oods on the University grounds. The 

 region about Fryeburg is apparently the only locality in the State 

 where the injury has been sufficient to attract general attention. 

 Here it probably does slight damage every year without attract- 

 ing notice. Occasionally there occurs a year or two especially 

 favorable to the multiplication of the bug and then the damage 

 wrought becomes conspicuous. In 1892 considerable injury was 

 done and on the sixth of September a vial of the insects was sent 

 to the Experiment Station for examination. They all proved to 

 be in the pupa stage. 



During the latter part of the summer of 1901 complaints were 

 received at the Experiment Station that the chinch bugs were 

 again causing an unusual amount of injury about Fryeburg. 

 An examination of the conditions existing there during the lat- 

 ter part of September showed that the chief injury had been to 

 timothy and hungarian grass, although corn and oats were in 

 some instances attacked, as were also witch grass and barn grass. 

 Timothy was completely killed over areas varying in size from 

 a few square yards to others of several acres in extent. In some 

 instances clover and witch grass had grown up in these spots. 

 Barn grass growing among corn was completely killed and witch 

 grass was killed to the ground, but grew up again as the bugs 

 passed onward. 



Although the damage for the year had ceased the bugs were 

 easily found ; in one case clustering in large numbers under the 

 dead leaves, stems and other debris among the clover immedi- 

 ately bordering a spot on which the timothy had been killed ; in 

 another case crowding in and about the clumps of beard grass 

 and sedge grass bordering a strip of hungarian grass. In such 

 places as these and under dead grass and weeds about fence 

 corners, under manure spread on the field in the fall and not 



♦Report Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, 1892. 



