Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1892 — Useful Insects. [ARTICLE]

Useful Insects.

Nearly all the lace-wings, which include the ant-lions, aphis-lions, dragon flies, etc., are a benefit, living wholly on other insects, and so help preserve our crops. Most of the locust order are destructive, yet even here we find the curious preying mantis, common at the South, with its jaw-like anterior legs, one of the first of predaceous insects. True, it attacks bees also, though it certainly does much more good than harm? Several bugs, like the great wheel bug and the, soldier bug, feed exclusively on other insects. Of the beetles, the beautifully spotted lady-bird beetle, the black, long-legged ground beetles, the quick, fierce tiger beetles, and a few others, are valuable aids in holding our insect pests in check. One may repeatedly see the grubs of the ground beetles eating cut-worms. The good work of the pretty lady-bird beetles in destroying the pestiferous plant lice can hardly be too much appreciated. Of the two-winged flies we have the tachina flies, which are internal parasites oh other insects; they resemble in form and color the house flies, to which they are closely related. These also prey upon eut-worms, laying their eggs on the caterpillars, and, as these eggs hatch, the maggots eat into their host and destroy its life. Two other families of two-winged flies do much good in eating other insects. The robber flies are so fierce and strong they destroy even the honey bee, while the conical maggot of the pretty yellow-banded syrphus flies feed upon the plant lice to an extent surpassed by few other insects; they are nearly or quite equal to the iady-blrd beetles as aphis destroyers. Among the highest order of insects —the one that includes the bees and wasps—we have the ichnuemon flies

and the chalcids—wasp-like insects that are parasites and do incomparable good. They are of all sizes and prey upon almost all kinds of insects. They are far more helpful to the farmer than are the tachina flies. They saved the wheat crop in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana in 1889. The wasps also belong to this order, and do much good; indeed, we think we may say that the wasps are only our friends. They are dreaded needlessly, for, unmolested, they rarely, if ever, sting. We have seen wasps carry off slugs and tent caterpillar in great numbers. Every farmer should become acquainted with these friends and learn their habits, that he may help—not hinder—their good work.— Great Divide.