34 
BACTERIAL DISEASE OF GRASSHOPPERS IN COLORADO. 
In the issue of June 28 of the Brighton (Colorado) Register 
was an account of a bacterial disease, which was said to be 
destroying the grasshoppers of Colorado in great numbers. 
Professor Gillette, the Entomologist of the State Experi- 
ment Station, was at once applied to for specimens. Through 
his request a box of grasshoppers was received on July 7 from 
Mr. Geo. R. Lee. The grasshoppers contained in it were brown 
in color, and very offensive tothe smell. They invariably clung 
to the tops of Alfalfa branches on which they had died. 'The 
greater part of those sent belonged to the large speciesof grass- 
hopper known as the two-striped locust (Melanoplus bivittatus 
Say). (Fig. 17.) A Apsebaten which had the appearance of hav- 
EX ing recently died, was se- 
lected, and a small piece 
of the digestive tract was 







taken through aslitin the 
a thorax. A _ dilution-cul- 
; = ture was made from this, 
RiGee Common native two-striped locust. as well as from other 
Natural Size. After Riley. 
parts of the body. Several species of bacteria were found and 
pure cultures made of them. 
Numerous attempts were made to spread the disease to our 
native grasshoppers. On July 9 two flower pots were filled with 
growing sod and a number of healthy grasshoppers enclosed. 
Some of the dead ones from Colorado were then shaken in a flask 
with water, which was sprinkled, with some of the dead hop- 
pers, on the food and living grasshoppers in these pots. No 
effect was seen after several weeks. Someof the grasshoppers 
died, but did not exhibit the peculiar smell of the diseased 
ones, and showed no inclination to climb upon anything before 
dying. 
Six species of the bacteria found in the bodies of the dead 
grasshoppers from Colorado were grown in flasks with bouillon 
to obtain a sufficient quantity of these parasitic plants. A 
strong growth was obtained in three days, when they were 
mixed and taken toTaylor’s Falls. Here a large number of migra- 
tory grasshoppers were collected and shaken with the bouillion- 
culture, after which they were liberated. No effect was seen 
after a month. A number of grasshoppers were brought 
