376 



Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



the grasshoppers, and the young, on hatching, make their way at once 

 into the bodies of the grasshoppers. Here they grow and develop rapidly, 

 feeding upon the living grasshoppers and causing them to die. When 

 full grown the maggot enters the ground, pupates within a brown case, 

 and within a short time the pupse transforms to a fly, about the size of 

 a house fly, but lighter in color. (Fig. 323.) 



Another class of insects that is very useful in checking grasshoppers 

 is the blister-beetle family. Unfortunately the adults are often known 



to us as very injurious to alfalfa 

 and garden crops. The female 

 blister beetle deposits from 400 to 

 500 yellowish eggs in irregular 

 masses in the loose ground. The 

 eggs hatch in a few days and the 

 active larvae run about everywhere 

 seeking the eggs of grasshoppers. 

 Some seasons immense numbers 

 of grasshoppers die of a fungous 

 disease. This disease, like so many 

 of the fungous diseases, depends 

 for its propagation upon favorable 

 climatic conditions. If there are sev- 

 eral weeks of cloudy, rainy weather 

 this disease may become very pro- 

 nounced and sweep the grasshop- 

 pers off in myriads. The diseased 



'hoppers, just before dying, crawl upon the plants, usually crawling well 

 to the top of the alfalfa, weeds and grasses. (Fig 324.) They turn dark 

 in color and cling very closely or tightly to the plant. The disease has 

 literally rotted them. In a short time after dying they dry up, crumple, 

 and fall to pieces. Many inquiries are made as to whether alfalfa on 

 which many of the diseased grasshoppers have died would be safe to 

 feed stock. The writer believes there is no danger whatever in using 

 this hay. In so far as we know it is not a poisonous fungus. The cut- 

 ting, curing, raking and handling of the hay, which is necessary before 

 the hay is placed in the barn or stack, will dislodge and break to pieces 

 the dead 'hoppers to such an extent that very little of them will be left 

 on or in the hay. 



PREVENTIVE AND REMEDIAL METHODS. While there is a large number 

 of natural enemies of the grasshoppers, and all of them are a benefit to 

 the farmer in helping him to control the 'hoppers, they do not, and prob- 

 ably never will, afford absolute protection from the ravages of these 

 pests in alfalfa fields, and thus preventive and remedial measures must 

 be put in operation in order to prevent serious injury to the crop. 



Disking. During the egg stage is the best time to attack the grass- 

 hoppers. The eggs may be destroyed by plowing, harrowing, disking or 

 cultivating roadsides, margins of cultivated fields, grassy margins along 

 fences and all waste places, in the fall or early winter. In an alfalfa field 

 it is not necessary to cultivate or disk deeply, two inches being sufficient. 



FIG. 323. Parasitic fly (Sarcophaga 

 georgina) that destroys grasshoppers. Much 

 enlarged. (After Webster, U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



