220 A COUNTRY READER. 



Others are general feeders, as the wire worms 

 and leather jacket (larvae of cockchafer). 



Insects Harmful to Live Stock. 



Let us now read about some of the best known 

 insects that are harmful to the live stock of a 

 farm. 



Gnats. You know these little stinging buzz- 

 ing insects, and so do your live stock. 



It is a long slender insect, with very long thin 

 legs. The male does not sting, but sucks up 

 water and juices of plants. 



The female is our enemy, because she is not 

 satisfied with sucking up water and juices of 

 plants, but she sucks up blood as well, and it is 

 the piercing of the skin with her long proboscis 

 to get at the blood that causes the pain. 



The female lays from 250 to 300 eggs on 

 any object floating about in stagnant water 

 (pools, ditches, etc.). They breed with special 

 rapidity in hot summers, and on badly-drained 

 soils. Therefore the best method of getting rid 

 of gnats, as well as mosquitoes, is to get rid of 

 all stagnant water and to keep the land well- 

 drained. 



Gad Flies. These are medium sized flies, with 

 thick bodies, large heads, and strong legs. The 

 male fly lives on plant juices, but the female of 



