REMEDIAL AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES 7I 



The larger ground spiders also feed freely upon these 

 worms ; and the moths are often entrapped in the webs of the 

 spinning spiders (Fig. 8). 



More fateful and insidious even than these other enemies, 

 are the microscopic germs of a bacterial disease — a sort of in- 

 sect cholera — that often attacks the army worm when it be- 

 comes over-abundant, reducing quickly its invading ranks to 

 below the normal level. 



Fig. 8. Army Worm Moths entrapped in a Spider's Web. (Original). 



To the action of these various natural checks is doubtless due 

 the seemingly strange appearance and disappearance of this 

 vexatious pest. Nature strives ever to keep a balance in her 

 affairs, and when an insect becomes too abundant, she mar- 

 shals her various forces to bring it into subjection. 



I 



REMEDIAL AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES 



When an outbreak of army worms is first noticed, if it is con- 

 fined to a limited area it is generally well worth while to cut down 

 the grass or grain infested. The worms will remain beneath 

 its shelter for two or three days, and as soon as the cut grass or 

 grain is dry enough it should be burned, thus destroying the 

 pests and preventing the invasion of neighboring fields. The 

 worms may also be destroyed by spraying them with strong 



