14 INSECT PESTS 



and Lice, which infest unclean animals. These, like 

 the preceding class, are Apterous, or wingless creatures. 

 Their larva live in dirt. We need concern ourselves no 

 more with them than to say that the mere suggestion of 

 cleanliness will cause them to turn up their eyes in pious 

 horror, and the carrying of it out will cause them to turn 

 up their toes, which is more to the point. 



We may now proceed to the Hemiptera, or Half- 

 Wings, which embrace the various kinds of frog-hoppers, 

 pond-skaters, plant lice, water scorpions, etc. These are 

 true insects, and pass through several elementary stages 

 before they are full grown. In the main they feed upon 

 the juices of living plants, and are distinctly inimical 

 to the farmer and the gardener. 



DiPTERA, or Two- Wings, are the gnats, midges, daddy- 

 long-legs, blue-bottles and house flies, etc. They undergo 

 the customary four stages of the higher insects, — viz., 

 ova, larva, pupa, imago, — or, in plain Enghsh, egg, 

 maggot, chrysalis, and perfect fly. Some of the larvae 

 are aquatic and form very interesting studies. Others, 

 like the Blow Fly, infest meat in hot weather, whilst 

 certain species are parasitic on the larvsB of other insects, 

 chiefly butterflies and moths, i; (See Plate 2.) 



The Orthoptera, or Straight-Wings, consist of the 

 grass-hopper, crickets, cockroaches, earwigs, etc., chiefly 

 devourers of plant life and therefore become pests. The 

 terrible locust of the East belongs to this class. The 

 larvae live beneath the soil and are voracious eaters of 

 roots. Certain crickets, however, hunt down flies and 

 other insects. 



We now pass to the Neuroptera, or Nerve- Wings, 

 which comprise dragon-flies, lacewing flies, caddis flies, 

 etc. The larvae are mainly aquatic, but in their perfect 

 state these msects hunt down and destroy butterflies, 

 plant Uce and other small species. 



Next are the famous Hymenoptera, or Membrane- 

 Wings, including ants, bees, wasps, ichneumon fliei 



