Stink bugs are serious pests of alfalfa grown for seed in southern 
Arizona. In 192 and 193 the seed damage caused by these insects 
in that area was estimated at 1 and 3 percent, respectively. In 
some years, however, as much as 15 percent of the crop in parts of 
Arizona has been destroyed. 
The potato leafhopper causes extensive losses to alfalfa and red 
clover each year in the eastern half of the United States. Losses 
in yield of alfalfa caused by this insect have ranged from 1h to 27 
percent. 
In California the alfalfa weevil, the alfalfa caterpillar, lygus 
bugs, the pea aphid, grasshoppers, spider mites, and leaf rollers 
reduce the annual production of alfalfa hay by 20 percent, or about 
800,000 tons. At $25 per ton this loss would amount to $20 million. 
Other insects of legume and grass crops destroy millions of dollars! 
worth of seed and forage every year. The more important of these 
additional pests are the clover root borer, the clover seed midges, 
the clover aphid, clover leaf weevil, clover seed weevil, vetch 
bruchid, thrips, webworms, white grubs, cutworms, armyworms, the 
corn earworm, harvester ant, chinch bug, and Rhodes-grass scale. 
Insects Predominantly Injurious to Corn 
Chinch bugs are very destructive to corn, sorghum, small grain 
(barley, wheat, rye, and oats), and other plants belonging to the 
grass family in the general region drained by the Mississippi, Ohio, 
and Missouri Rivers. Overwintering adults settle on small greins 
in the spring. The young bugs, or nymphs, which they produce, feed 
in the snall grain and later migrate to corn or sorghum. They suck 
the juice from the plants, causing them to die. 
During the period 1942-51, chinch bugs caused an annual loss of 
$951,900 to corn and sorghums in tha United States. ‘the loss in 
192 was approximately $3,860,000, and through 1945 it exceaded 
$3,000,900 annually. It was much less during the last 6 years of 
the period, however, and amounted to only $1,000 in 1551. 
While especially serious on corn, chinch bugs are also very seri- 
ous pests of lawns and other turf in the Northeastern and South- 
eastern States, In recent years they have heen especially damazing 
to lawns of St. Augustine grass in Florida. 
Damage by chinch bugs to corn or sorghums may be prevented by the 
timely use of insecticide barrisrs that destroy the insects as they 
migrate to these crops from maturing small grains. Some of the new 
insecticides are also effective in controlling the bugs in lawns or 
turf. 
The corn earworm is a most destructive enemy of ear corn of all 
kinds. It attacks field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn. In addition, 
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