THE ENTOMOLOGIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1906, 21 August 1890, Page 5

THE ENTOMOLOGIST.

THE FJfIE LACHNUS. There is, in some of the States iv Amerioa, a little in3eot of a class known as "Frog hoppers," who live by inßerting tbeir suckers p the bark of live trees, nnd drawing thence the juices. The operation goes en almost without cessation, and fcbo quantity abstracted io enormous, in proportiop ,to the aiza of tho insect. It would be quite impoßßible for these, or afay Bimilar insect, to hold' the quantity of Jujce they abstract in a very abort time, were it not that the juices are again ojected from the inbeot as continuously as the pumping supplies them. Now it would Beem as if this were a needleßß waate of the enenjiea of the trflflj and bo it waa always thought , to be until ve>y lately, wbeu a beekeeper, who owns an oxt( naivefarm in Amh'erat, Va., U r 3-A., made 1 a These, - little insectß 'suck fcbe^juice of pibe tfe.ea, and in liranßmittidg it through the c6rnic'lesr or inatruidentß f urnished for the purpoße, they transmute it idto a'aweet fluid,' Which soon turns into a thick ' pasty* substance like honey, with no taate whatever of tbe reaifl of the tree. It falls frbm them likeimpalpablemjstf tbat cannot be Beeu,,but , soon gftbhera in larp dropß, so that vial. booties can ,be filled, wjth If a,limb is lopped ,pff, dh^li^leinßeota, crowd round it, ma,ny ,'deep, t.o^euck the juice. .Hie bqea are very fpnd of this honey dew, as jtfia. called, and' Work inceba'antly on Wkmg it in preference to tbe ordinary nectar of flowers,'tomake honey from it during the seasOn^'lt'laita during moßt of the year.' Mfc Evans; who fur niehea the particulara, has 73 colonies of beds, which he finds are (not enough' to.gather tie quantity,. supplied, iand from .olpße obaervatnn (with. 18 yeara, of experience) be OWpulateß that one, aore of pines, yields ,10011? of 'hgnfey. every year., ItwouliJ ftppeat then that there, is in the resinous pine a vast store , Of traioar ie juice, 1 whicti wo>ld rje'lopi: but fqrthe operation of an insefcfc which has always been lodkedupW as iujuribu^tdfaani arid destroyed asßUobi fepd that a forest 'of 'pine trees ia capable, with the, asaistance of two inieots (theflachnußandthe bee) of yielding a very ifair/ inoome, with in- , ourring but very little labour, or otttlay., Tnia ia one of those inaects^thtrt .could, e9B.ily .be imported into New Zealand ,to. utUise otirorriamental pineß, and whioh', even with the cojnparaciv'efy few we have; wouldWreatly'inor^e the profits of the hive.. 1 But hoW'fewp^rilej aeem to think these little animala worth looting after, and yet they'are oapable of infliotibg enormoua loasea or great benefits, according ( to' the skill with whioh they are regulated. ;