; \ i ~ 
62 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE, 
in a few days and some thaw occurring, I pulled the stalks out of the 
mud to get the ears of corn off, and in husking the ears found quite — 
a number of Chinch Bugs which had been immersed for a week or 
ae On exposing them to the warm sun they crawled around 
ively.” 
ae they are hibernating in numbers they can often bedetected 
more readily by their strong ‘* bed-buggy ” odor than by sight, as was — 
pointed out by Dr. Riley. Dr. Lintner, in October, 1883, found this 
method of searching for them ‘‘more convenient and infallible than — 
looking for them.” ; é 
Mr. Bruner calls our attention to the fact that the Osage and other 
brushy hedges in the West are great collectors of leaves and trash, 
blown there by the winds, and that they form exceptionally good 
hibernating places for the Chinch Bugs, which take advantage of — 
them in great numbers. So great a nuisance are the hedges from 
this point of view that Mr. Bruner seriously advocates their gradual 
hay and the substitution of a less compact division between 
elds, 
HABITS. 
With the warm days of spring the hibernating individuals issue 
from their winter quarters and copulate. Dr. Shimer has described 
a love-flight which he noticed at this time. The date was May 16, 
1865, and the atmosphere was swarming with Chinch Bugs on the 
wing. As shown by Walsh and Riley (Am. Ent., I, 173), 16 is prob- 
able that this occurrence was exceptional, and that the insects do not | 
normally mate in this way; that the swarming flight was the result | 
of a great abundance of the insects. The insect flies in spring and 
fall'and also somewhat in late July and early August as the first 
brood becomes winged. In the fall they attain wings asthecorn — 
hardens and their flight is then the result of a starvationimpulse. In 
July and August the flight of the fledged individuals of the first brood | 
is not very common, except when they occur in exceptionally great — 
numbers. During the past season Professor Osborn observed them 
coupling at Ames prior to July 25, while upon this date he observed 
them swarming in the air, flying past his window in immense num- | 
bers and with the wind (southeast to northwest), They were first 
noticed shortly after 1 p.m. July 27 they were again noticed on the | 
wing, but not in such great numbers as before. They wereflying ~ 
_ with the wind from northwest to southeast. August3 hostsofthem — 
were observed on the wing, while others were coupling on the | 
ground. Others were observed coupling as late as August 16... | 
The majority of the hibernating individuals seem, from the evi- — 
dence, to copulate in the spring and without flying, but according 
to Professor Riley many of them make love in the fall preparatory to 
seeking winter quarters, and Mr, James O. Alwood, of Columbus, 
Ohio, writes that he found them copulating in the field of uncut 
Pearl Millet at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station as late as 
October 27, 1887. 
The eggs of the Chinch Bug, which we have already described, and 
which are figured on Plate I, Fig. 2, are laid in the spring for 
the first brood, and usually underground and upon the roots of 
plants infested. They are, however, often found above ground upon 
the withered sheaths near the bases of the grain stalks, or often upon ~ 
the blades of the leaves. They are deposited in small clusters, like 
those shown upon the plate. 
