THE HESSIAN-FLY, Th 
THE HESSIAN-FLY. 
(Cecidomia destructor Say). 
This insect, perhaps for the first time in its history, has 
caused considerable losses to the farmers of Minnesota. 
Contrary to all expectations it has found a home in our 
state, but very likely only for a short time.. A large area is | 
infested, but especially the western part of central Minne- 
sota, from Brown’s Valley to the Mississippi river at St. 
Cloud. Farther north and south the fly is found in lesser 
numbers, and only few occur in the northern part of the Red 
River valley and along the Iowa state line. The damage 
- in some places amounted to more than 25 per cent, in others 
to 5 per cent’and less, but on an average our farmers lost 
from 5 to 10 per cent of their entire wheat crop. This is a 
very serious loss and one requiring close attention on the 
part of the farmers to prevent in future. The writer is 
glad to state that in many places a number of different par- 
asites have been exceedingly numerous and active and have 
done such good work that the majority of the destructive 
flies have been destroyed. 








Fig, 3.—Hessian-fly: 1, adult female; 2, abdomen of male; 3, pupa removed 
from puparium (flax-seed); 4, puparium; 5, larve; 7, pupariain position. All en- 
larged excepitng 7. (After Taschenburg). 
As the history of the Hessian-fly has already been given 
in last year’s report it is not necessary torepeat it here. An 
illustration of its various stages is given in fig. 3. In south- 
