574 Grasses and Leguminous Crops in New York 



They pass through five im- 

 mature stages and acquire 

 wings at the fifth molt. Some 

 of the grasshoppers reach ma- 

 turity about the middle of 

 June but others do not acquire 

 wings until about the first of 

 July. Whenever the food 

 supply becomes exhausted the 

 grasshoppers gradually spread 

 out to new feeding grounds. 

 Grasses, corn, oats, rye, clover, 

 and other crops are often 

 either completely destroyed or 

 seriously damaged. 



The grasshoppers continue 

 to feed until the advent of cool 

 weather, but egg-laying begins 

 the latter part of July. In deposting her eggs the female inserts 

 her abdomen its full length into the ground. The eggs are 

 laid in masses of from 5 to 18, arranged in several overlap- 

 ping layers. The egg-mass is covered with a frothy substance 

 which hardens and protects the eggs from moisture. Small 

 particles of soil adhere to the egg-mass forming a curved pod 



(Radl.y i hotn) 



Fig. 616. Grasshopper Feeding on 

 A Wheat Head. 



(Hadley photo) 



Fig. 617. Sandy Field Showing Bare Spots in Which 

 Grasshopper Eggs are Laid. 



