42 PAPERS ON CEREAL AND FORAGE INSECTS. 



and under varying weather conditions. Most of the observations 

 were made in Sumner County, Ivans. , where the fungus had proba- 

 bly been present among the bugs in the fields for a number of years. 

 Considerable fungus was present during 1908 and 1909. 



It again appeared among the chinch bugs in southern Kansas 

 during April, 1910, and was first observed ia the fields April 18 on the 

 dead bodies of some adults lying on the ground at the base of young 

 wheat plants. From this date the fungus gradually increased, dead 

 adults covered with fungus being found almost every day. These 

 were always on the soil, or slightly buried beneath the surface, about 

 the roots of wheat. 



During the first week of May the weather was cool and rainy, the 

 mean temperature of the week being 59° F. and precipitation 0.75 

 inch for four days. The bugs, during this period, were sluggish and 

 sought shelter under blades of wheat or any trash that would keep 

 them off the ground. Succeeding this week of wet weather, followed 

 two hot days, with a mean temperature each of 68.5° F. and 79.5° 

 F. At the end of this period the following note was made : 



A number of dead bugs were found lying on the ground, their bodies whitened with 

 the fungus. One plant had 7 dead, fungus-covered bugs at its base. Xo young bugs 

 found covered with the fungus. 



From notes of May 1 8 : 



A great many old bugs are dead and covered with the Sporotrichum, but failed to 

 find any young bugs covered with this fungus. The dead bugs are on the surface of 

 the soil. 



About this time the young bugs which had hatched from the eggs 

 deposited in the wheat were massed together about the bases of the 

 wheat plants. Where the wheat had winter-killed, and had been 

 torn up and corn listed into the ground, the bugs which hatched on 

 the wheat had gone to the nearest corn plants. Some stalks of these 

 plants were red from the myriads of young bugs assembled upon 

 them; in no case could any fungus be found on these young bugs, 

 but there were usually a few overwintering adults to be seen about 

 the base of these plants, and upon turning over a clod some of their 

 dead bodies covered with Sporotrichum were usually to be found. 

 Plenty of the fungus could be found at this time in wheat fields where 

 the adult hibernating bugs were still present. Sporotrichum grad- 

 ually became more abundant during the succeeding days of May and 

 early part of June, the amount observed seeming to fluctuate with 

 the weather, being most abundant while it was damp and cool and 

 checked by a few days of dry weather. It developed most rapidly 

 in wheat fields during the first 10 days of June, while the bugs, both 

 young and old, were migrating from the wheat to the corn, the fungus 

 being at this time abundant on dead adults in contact with the soil 

 and in some cases on the bodies of young dead bugs. 



