

CHINCH BUG WEST OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 35 



At Wellington, Kans., the senior author, on October 3, 1908, 

 observed adult chinch bugs flying and collecting in grass (Andro- 

 pogon) down at the crown, and on October 12 he saw hundreds of 

 bugs in some clumps of this grass along roadsides. During the early 

 spring of 1909 hundreds of living adults were found in clumps of this 

 same grass, where they had evidently hibernated. On November 30, 



1909, in this same locality the authors observed some bunches of 

 Andropogon scoparius containing 6,000 to 10,000 bugs each, and on 

 November 29, 1909, they found a few living bugs in corn husks, but 

 most all of the bugs were in bunches of grass. Again, on December 

 22 one bunch of Andropogon 2 inches in diameter was found to con- 

 tain 1,508 bugs; many bunches were 8 to 12 inches in diameter, and 

 contained as many as 15,000 to 20,000. Bugs were found only in 

 grasses that grow in clumps; none was discovered in rubbish, old 

 straw piles, fodder shocks, or in sorghum-cane piles. Several dead 

 bugs were found in corn husks, but no living ones. A number of 

 bugs collected at random from the base of some bunches of Andro- 

 pogon was brought into a warm room to see how many would revive. 

 There were 325 living bugs and 89 dead ones, or 21.5 per cent dead. 

 None was found in bunches of reed grass (Calomagrostis), Sporobo- 

 lus, blue grass (Poa), or crab grass (Digitaria). 



The method for separating the living chinch bugs from the trash 

 and dead bugs was a very simple one. The bugs and bunch of grass 

 containing them were put on paper in an oblong box, and the box 

 placed in front of a fire, where the living bugs would readily crawl out 

 of the grass and trash to the corners of the box and beneath the paper. 

 Care was taken not to heat the bugs to more than 100° F., as a higher 

 temperature might kill them. 



On December 24 another lot of chinch bugs, collected at random 

 from clumps of Andropogon and brought into a warm room, gave 755 

 living and 234 dead, or 23.6 per cent dead. Again, on December 29 

 a third lot of bugs in clumps of Andropogon was brought into the 

 laboratory, where the warmth of the room soon revived them, and 

 they became active. Of this lot of bugs 20 to 25 per cent were found 

 to be dead, probably from exposure to cold or perhaps from old age. 

 On December 30, corn husks and the husks of fallen ears, which had 

 not been harvested, were searched for living chinch bugs. Very few 

 were found and none whatever about old straw piles. Very few bugs 

 died during January, as indicated by observations during the last 

 part of that month. Three lots of bugs were collected from bunches of 

 Andropogon; the first contained 298 living and 72 dead bugs, or 19 

 per cent dead; the second contained 137 living and 35 dead bugs, or 

 20 per cent dead; the third, which was collected on February 12, 



1910, contained a few more than 10,000 counted bugs, 20 per cent of 

 which were dead. 



8465°— Bull. 95, pt 3—11 3 



