MINNESOTA BILL BUGS 



O. (;. P.ABCOCK. 



In the year 1899, Lugger rej^orted several species of bill-bugs in 

 Minnesota, especially in the vicinity of the lake shores. During 

 certain seasons, they were reported to be remarkably numerous, 

 Sphenophorus ochreus (Lee.) and S. costipennis, Llorn, being the 

 most ct)ninion species. In V)l^, an o1)server near Savage, Minne- 

 sota, informed us that he distinctly remembered seeing holes in 

 the corn leaves as long ago as 1898 and similar injury in 1903. 



Our records show that in 1910, Spooner, while investigating a 

 field of corn which had been under cultivation for fortv years, found 

 bill-bugs at work in hills of young corn at Shakopee, Minnesota. 

 This field had been flooded in 1903 and partly covered by high water 

 several seasons since. In the late spring of 1912, 25 acres of corn 

 on this same farm was practically destroyed by 5". z'ciiatiis. 



Distribution. 



In addition to 5". costipennis and .9. orhrcns, S. vcnatns is 

 known to occur along the Minnesota River from Shakopee to the 

 Mississippi. In the Fourteenth Annual Report of the State Ento- 

 mologist for 1911-12 is found a note upon ^. ochreus by Somes, who 

 states that he found it feeding upon the heads of velvet chafif wheat 

 while in the milk. The blue stem, a smooth or beardless variety 

 that was plowed in the spring, was very slightly afifected, the velvet 

 chafif being fall plowed. Somes reports it in that year as being 

 quite abundant in the southern part of the state. Upon rare occa- 

 sions this species is known to attack corn. 5". zcae also occurs 

 along the Minnesota River from Shakopee to the Mississippi and 

 thence to Lake City. We have also found it three to four miles 

 back from the river on high land at Owatonna. Here it was 

 infesting a local patch of sedge {Cy perns cscnlentns) in a low spot 

 about twenty feet in diameter. 



LIFE HISTORIES. 

 Sphenophorus venatus. 



On June 5, 1912, an investigation of this pest Avas made at 

 Shakopee. One farmer lost fully twenty-four acres of field corn. 



On this date, the adults were seriously attacking the young 

 corn which was, on an average, one and one-half to two feet high. 



