CHAPTER IV 



THE CICADAS, PLANT LICE, AND SCALE INSECTS: 



HOMOPTERA 



The shy cicada, whose noon-voice rings 



So piercing shrill that it almost stings 



The sense of hearing. 



Elizabeth A. Kerr 



Bugs. Though many people call any insect a bug, the 

 term "bug" is correctly applied to the insects belonging to 

 two orders, the Homop'tera and the Hemip'tera. These 

 orders comprise some of the most important insect competi- 

 tors of man. The insects of these two orders have long suck- 

 ing beaks in place of chewing mouth parts. They therefore 

 feed upon plant and animal juices instead of solid foods. 



Cicadas. There are several species of cicadas in the United 



States, of which the best known is the periodical cicada 



(Tibi'cina septen'decim, Fig. 15). In the South this species 



is usually called the thirteen-year locust, while in the North 



it goes under the name of the seventeen-year locust. Many 



of the cicadas which appear in the years between the cycles 



of periodical cicadas belong to different species which in some 



instances require not more than two years for their complete 



development. The name harvest fly (Fig. 16) is frequently 



applied to them. At the base of the abdomen of the male is 



a "drum," or sound-producing organ, where a high-pitched 



note is made by the rapid vibration of tightly stretched 



membranes, somewhat in the way sound may be produced 



by pushing up and down on the bottom of a tin pan. This 



note, heard on hot summer days, has been celebrated as 



the "song" of the cicada since the time of the Greeks. 



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