4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL 



13 



Figure 25. — Grasshopper. 



ORTHOPTERA (GRASSHOPPERS AND OTHERS) 



Grasshoppers. — A large group of the order Orthoptera is repre- 

 sented by the grasshoppers. They vary greatly in size. Most grass- 

 hoppers are greenish and yellowish gray in color. Their rather long 

 hind legs, thickened at the base, equip them for jumping. The mouth 

 parts are of the chewing type, and these insects destroy many kinds 

 of field crops, vegetables, and weeds ; at times they also eat the leaves 

 and bark off trees. Most of the grasshoppers overwinter in the 

 ground in the egg stage. These insects 

 have changes in form during the life cycle. 

 When first hatched, they are very small. 

 They shed their skins several times during 

 life, each time coming out in a larger skin 

 and a little more closely resembling the 

 adult form which has four wings. The 

 hind wings are folded fanlike under the rather long, narrow fore- 

 wings. Since these insects destroy crops, they most certainly are 

 pests. Grasshoppers may be controlled by cultural practices, but 

 when they become abundant, it is necessary to apply poisoned bait. 

 The scientific name of the grasshopper shown here is Melanoplus 

 femur-rubrum. (The length of this species is approximately 1 inch ) 

 Crickets. — Nearly every boy and girl has heard the chirping of the 

 cricket although they may never have seen the little insect, about 

 five-eighths of an inch long, that does the chirp- 

 ing. Crickets vary widely in shape and struc- 

 ture. Most of them are black in color. The one 

 shown here is the large, black field cricket {G-i^yl- 

 lus assimilis). The four wings fold over the 

 back but are seldom, if ever, used. Like other 

 Orthoptera, the crickets have incomplete life 

 changes and overwinter mainly in the egg stage 

 in the ground, or in the nymphal stage in pro- 

 tected places. They have chewing mouth parts 

 and feed on a wide variety of substances. This 

 species sometimes causes damage by eating the 

 twine from bundles of grain. 



Katydids. — No doubt many boys and girls 

 in the Northern States have heard the remark 

 "It will be only 6 weeks until frost," because 

 some member of the family has heard the fa- 

 miliar katydid. The sound of ' 

 this insect is much easier to de- 

 tect than the insect itself, because 

 its green color makes it difficult to 

 see amidst green foliage. Like 

 the grasshopper and the cricket, 

 the katydid belongs to the order 

 Orthoptera and has incomplete 

 life changes. It winters in the 

 egg stage. The eggs are often | 

 mistaken for some kind of scale 

 insect because of their peculiar 

 shinglelike arrangement along the margins of leaves or along twigs. 

 The large angular-winged katydid (Microcentrum retinerve) is about 

 2 inches long. It has chewing mouth parts and feeds mainly on the 



Figure 26. — Cricket. 



Figure 27. — Katydid. 



