REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 165 
potatoes about a month ago I saw at least fifty of them on a piece of ground about 
20 by 40 feet in size, in different stages of growth, ranging in size from 2™™ in length 
up to the fully matured ins-cts, which are from 8™" to 9™" in length. Since that time 
I have seen one or more daily creeping along the outside of the house or along the 
window and door screens. Only the mature insects were observed in the act of 
devouring the beetle larve. 
This undue increase in the Colorado Potato Beetle is attributed to the long-con- 
tinued and excessive drought with which this section had been visited. During the 
past three months we have had ample rains, and the result had been the almost im- 
mediate disappearance of the pest, which had just begun work on the tomato and 
various other solanaceous plants when the rains came. 
CHINCH BUG. 
(Blissus leucopterus.) 
Great and wide-spread have been the depredations of this repulsive pest, which 
next to the Rocky Mountain Locust is our most injurious species of insect enemy. 
From its depredations alone throughout the Grought-stricken region of the Mississippi 
and Missouri valleys, during the present season many millions of dollars’ worth of 
grain have been destroyed, and in several localities actual privation is liable to follow. 
The annexed crop reports, culled from various daily and weekly newspapers pub- 
lished throughout this region, will give a slight intimation as to the true state of 
the subject under consideration. Still, each region always draws its own afflictions 
as mildly as possible, while in speaking of those of a neighboring district they are 
liable to be somewhat overdrawn or exaggerated. 
About the beginning of the second week in July rumors of Chinch-bug depreda- 
tions at isolated localities throughout the drought-stricken area were first circulating 
through the press. A week later these rumors had become substantiated, and it 
was definitely known that their distribution and depredations were more wide-spread 
and general than was at first supposed; not only in this State, but also in Kansas, 
Missouri, Iowa, portions of Illinois, Minnesota, and southeastern Dakota. But not 
until harvest arrived was the full extent of their depredations known. 
Causes of inerease.—When the matter is carefully studied and the causes of the 
undue increase of this insect are taken into consideration the wonder is that the 
injury was not greater and more wide-spread than it actually has been. | The long- 
continued drought of last year, with large areas of Chinch-bug depredation®, followed 
by a generally close and rather severe winter, after which came a warm, dry spring 
and hot, scorching summer; all these favored in the greatest degree the most com- 
plete development of the bug in all its stages. But comparatively few of its natural 
enemies were present; and most of these, too, being species that prefer preying upon 
other insects to feeding on the unsavory rebel under consideration when they can 
be found. These predatory species had a plentiful host in the various species of 
Aphids, leaf beetles, and such like other depredators that were also present in 
great numbers. 
One of the common and perhaps by far the chiefest of reasons for the large num- 
bers of the pest that are always ready to take place whenever the advantage offers 
is the great carelessness of farmers in general to ‘‘clean up” during late fall and 
early spring. Especially is this true in portions of Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. 
The bugs winter among rubbish of all kinds, in meadows, along fences, in brush 
heaps, among fallen leaves, and among the débris collected by hedges, weed patches, 
and along the outskirts of groves among the underbrush. But there is no use of 
my going over these points that have been mentioned again and again by all writers 
upon the subject. 
After the bugs have become a pest. the only effectual remedy is wet, cool weather. 
For some reason or other their constitution is not suited to a superfluity of moisture, 
nor can they adapt themselves to it. Humidity has the effect of bringing on dis- 
ease and final dissolution with them, just as it does with various migratory locusts, 
the only difference being in favor of the locusts. A good, soaking rain, or at most 
two or three of such, following in the course of several days, generally ends effectually 
the most threatening Clfinch-bug devastation, while on the other hand a year or even 
two of such weather are sometimes required to entirely obliterate a locust plague. 
The question, then, naturally comes up, can this insect not be materially kept in 
check by some other and natural means? My answer to this question is, yes; toa 
certain degree, this is quite possible, and not nearly so difficult a task as one might 
suppose. A good cleaning up and burning of rubbish of all kinds in late fall, win- 
ter, or early spring, will answer the purpose, if the work be general, by reducing the 
number of hibernating insects. Osage orange ay:d all other very brushy hedges are 
