THE ORTHOPTERA OF MINNESOTA. 



ao 



which belong to the vegetable kingdom, a large number of 

 parasites, members of the animal kingdom, seem to make it 

 their business to destroy locusts. The more important ones 

 are given and illustrated. 



The Red-Mite. {Trombidium locustarum Ril.). Quite 

 early in the spring, or as soon as the surface of the 

 earth is dry and fairly warm, full-grown red-mites or locust- 

 mites can be seen running over the ground in fields and 

 gardens. They are especially common if locusts were numer- 

 ous in the previous year. These friendl}^ mites, illustrated 

 in Figs. 12 and 13, of a vivid scarlet color, and with the 

 peculiar gloss of silk, are well known to children, who are 

 in the habit of calling them the "lucky spiders," very likely 

 from the German "Glueckspinnen," because finding them in 

 the early spring is claimed to be the certain promise of a 

 lucky day. And no wonder, because they are only found 

 running about on warm and dry spring da3's, when all 

 nature is reviving from a long winter's rest, when the bare 



Fig. 12. — Trombidium locustarum. — a, mature larva when about to leave the 

 wing of a locust ; b. pupa ; c, male adult w-hen just from the pupa ; d, female — the 

 natural sizes indicated to the right ; e, pupal claw and thumb ; /; pedal clav^-s ; g, 

 one of the barbed hairs; h, the striations on the larvel skin. (After Riley). 



and cold ground becomes clothed in delicate green colors^ 

 and when the first flowers gladden the e3'es. The ilKistra- 

 tion (Fig. 12), shows the great difference that exists be- 

 tween the sexes. During the spring the females deposit 



