Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1914 — A BUG CLUB [ARTICLE]

A BUG CLUB

Fanners Must Co-Operate in Eradicating Dangerous Insects.

By S. M. Jordan.

If, in a community where the Heesian fly is giving trouble, all the farmers would co-operate they could practically eradicate it in from one to three years. The key to the situation is that this insect goes into what is known as the flaxseed stage as the wheat ripens. It remains on the stubble usually from two to four weeks, depending on weather conditions. If the weather after harvest for that length of time is especially dry, not much damage need be expected the following year from the fly. If there is reasonable moisture much damage may be expected, as the moisture assists the larvae in breaking its shell or covering, also causing the volunteer grain to begin to grow, on which the young larvae feed. If plowed and disced down well the larvae are buried and cannot escape. A second best way is to destroy all volunteer grain and sow the wheat in the fall late as it will possibly do. Sometimes the method of trapping is resorted to, and this is done by sowing a narrow strip very early around the sowngrain, then just about the time for sowing the wheat crop this crop should be very completely plowed under, the ground well disced and rolled if possible.