Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1896 — AN EXPENSIVE BUG. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AN EXPENSIVE BUG.

Imported from Australia for California Orange Growers. The orange farmers of California, at an expense of $20,000, have imported a “herd” of bugs of a new species, by means of which they expect to exterminate other bugs, which have been feeding on the orange trees and impairing the crop more each year. The new bugs are cannibals of the most voracious type. They eat other bugs when they can find any, and when they can hot

they eat each other. On account of this characteristic it was found very difficult to import them. Box after box was sent on succeeding ships from Australia, only to be discovered that when the vessels arrived here the little creatures had exterminated them-

selves. Finally, however, a few hardy ones, under the principle of the survival of the fittest, reached America without being devoured, and were turned loose in the orange groves. The scheme is now meeting with great success. The “lady” bug of this species, it is said, so prolific are they in bearing young, in six months becomes the proud grand mother of 375,000,000 buglets.

BUG THAT FATTENS ON OTHER BUGS.