1 Six-Legged Immigrants
Crawling Across The Land
by Joy Aachenbach
National Geographic Newt Service
WASHINGTON -- This is not
-heant to sound unfriendly, but
'oreign bugs can be the biggest
pest's.
Whether they're Medflies from
Africa, gypsy moths from Europe,
'fire ants from South America, or
Jther alien insects, they worm,
>ting, crawl, and chew their way
into every corner of the country in a
most uncontrollable manner.
On balance, alien creatures
:ause more damage than native
American bugs. At least half of all
agricultural losses in the United
States -- about S22.9 billion worth a
vear -- are attributable to foreign
pests, most of them insects.
Foreign insects do so well on
U.S. soil basically because they
leave their natural enemies, their
"biological control agents," back
home. Some are so well established
here that there's no getting rid of
them. Science simply has not
moved as fast as the bugs.
We're Outnumbered
Scientists admit that the best
hope at this point is to try to reduce
their numbers to levels that most
people can live with. But the insects
don't make that job easy. There are
more insect species that all species
of plants and other animals put
.together.
?* So far nearly a million distinct
;? kinds have been described, and an
$ estimated 2 to 9 million more
J unknown varieties are crawling
? around out there. The United
? States has 150,000 to 200,000
I kinds, about 600 to 700 of which
; are foreign in origin.
i' Only about 5 percent of all
^.insects are considered pests, but
X about 40 percent of the foreign ones
There are. Alien insects are so
? unwelcome that the only way they
vcan legally enter the country is
Fdead: dried and preserved.
; Most of the unwanted live ones ?
Jtfiose not issued special visas to be
xiised for scientific research -- slip in
fvrith returning or visiting travelers.
i Right up there at the top of the
j U.S. Department of Agriculture's
^durrent "wanted list" of foreign
i bugs are the various fruit flies:
'Mediterranean, oriental, and
I South American.
USD A inspectors intercept more
^fruit flies than any other bugs. It
Avould take just one infested piece
lof souvenir fruit to create another
^California Medfly crisis.
_ 1 million already has
peon spent trying to eradicate the
;.?ies from California, the only state
besides Hawaii in which they are
now found. Medflies have been
longtime residents of Hawaii, the
probable source of the California
infestation.
Officials hope to declare Cali
fornia completely Medfly-free by
the end of the summer. Fields have
been sprayed, traps put out, and a
citizen Medfly program set up.
Residents are to turn in any
Medflies found in backyard fruit
trees. The rice-size Medfly larvae
live off more than 200 varieties of
fruit and vegetables.
The well-traveled gypsy moths,
which arrived here from Europe
before the first quarantine laws of
1912, have established residency in
the Northeast and are moving south
and west, showing up as far away as
Florida, California. Oregon and
Washington.
In their voracious caterpillar
stage, gypsy moths ate the leaves
off a record 5 million acres of trees
in 1980 and more than doubled
that last summer, defoliating 13
million acres.
"It looks like winter in July in the
forests. " said Entomologist Dr.
Warren Johnson of Cornell Univer
sity. This summer is expected to be
as bad or worse.
And the gypsy moth is here to
stay. It has been in this country so
long that it is practically a natur
alized citizen. The moths were first
brought to Massachusetts in 1869
by a French naturalist who was
trying to breed a better silkworm.
Some moths escaped from the lab
and by 1889 the caterpillars were so
thick on the trees that they "stuck
together like cold macaroni."
At the rate they're now traveling,
they may eventually change the
character of some forests. Johnson
said. The moths travel long dis
tances on the underside of campers
and recreational vehicles, where the
non-flying female frequently lays
her eggs.
Although the caterpillars like
numerous species of trees, they
prefer oak. "Oak is no longer going
to be the dominant tree in some
areas." Johnson ? said. "One day
there may be no such thing as an
oak hardwood floor." It takes a
heavy infestation to actually kill a
tree, which can survive two or three
defoliations.
Southern Nuisance
Becoming almost as infamous in
the South as the boll weevil, which
crossed the border from Mexico in
1892. red fire ants have invaded
more than 230 million acres in nine
southern states. Officials are trying
to keep them from moving farther
west across Texas.
Hoke Drug Company
120 N. Main
Raeford, N.C.
OUR
SPECIALS
REG. SALE
Allba with C Vitamins 8.10 4.59
Coppertone Lotion Oil 4 oz. 3.69 2.39
Geritol Tablets 40 s 5.45 3.09
Johnson's Baby Powder 1 4 oz. 3.15 1.99
Noxzema Skin Cream 1 0 oz. 3.79 1.99
Polaroid Time Zero Camera 41.95 32.99
Polaroid Time Zero Film 10.45 7.79
Kodak Disc 4000 Camera 67.95 49.95
Kodacolor HR Disc Film - 2 discs 5.90 4.39
Kleenex Tissues 200;s 3/2.00 1.25 orea. 67'
. Ecotrin Tablets 100's 4.35 2.79
? Tinactin Cream Vi oz . 4.59 2.59
No Salt 1 1 oz. 3.59 2.49
British Sterling Cologne 2 oz. 5.75 2.89
,i;British Sterling After Shave 2 oz. 5.00 2.49
? Cling Free Fabric Softner Sheets 24's 1 .49 1 .09
? Gillette Foamy Shave Cream 1 1 oz. 2.69 1 .49
? Aversol Suppositories 12's 3.59 1 .87
Flex Shampoo Normal to Dry 1 6 oz. 2.89 1.79
Flex Shampoo Extra Body 1 6 oz. 2.89 1.79
&F lex Shampoo Oil 16 oz. 2.89 1.79
I
Foreign Insects on Move in U. S.
A decade ago gypsy moths started moving out from their northeast stronghold,
and now infest parts of more than a do/en other states. As caterpillars they defol i
ated a record 13 million acres of trees in 19N1. Red fire ants have taken o% er the
south at an explosive rate since the late 1950s, tra\ eling about 20 miles a > ear and
still heading west across Texas. Nledflies are entrenched in Hawaii, hut may he
out of California by the end of the summer.
PMotos Dy Emory Knstot FredWa'd *"0 O fea<
< 198? Nai'O^a Geographic Society
The vicious ants, which probably
boarded a freighter in Brazil and
sneaked into the country through
Mobile. Ala., in the 1930s, have
made a real nuisance of themselves.
They sting people -- repeatedly.
They wreck farm equipment by
building foot-high nesting mounds
that are as tough as tree stumps
when dry. Each mature mound
swarms with 200,000 ants and there
may be 50 mounds per acre.
The world's most destructive pest
of stored grains, khapra beetles
from India started infesting U.S.
spice processing plants and ware
houses in 1980 and 1981 for the
first time since the 1950s.
The return of these hardy
beetles, who hitchhike into the
country in spice shipments and
packing crates, forced the USDA
this year to make fumigation
mandatory for such things as
brassware from India and chili
peppers from Pakistan. Inspectors
of the USDA Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service intercept
the beetles at seaports 150 to 300
times a year.
Not all foreign bugs are bad.
Some are actually sought after by
USDA agents based in Europe.
Asia, and South America. Most are
brought here because thev like to
eat bad bugs. None has turned out
to be a pest.
Bug Against Bug
In 1981, 65 species of insects
from 17 countries were let in.
Thirty-eight different kinds were
released against 20 pests. "Almost
all pest insects have enemies. I
can't think of one that doesn't,"
said Dr. Jack Coulson, head of
USDA's Beneficial Insect Introduc
tion Lab. "The gypsy moth alone
has over 100 natural enemies.
But scientists have established
only 12 here. Most haven't survived
the new environment, especially in
winter. More gypsy moth predators
were brought in last year from the
Soviet Union. India and Japan.
It's still not enough. "We've
given up looking for the silver
bullet. Our real target is to cut the
population down to acceptable
levels." Coulson explained.
Another group of foreign bugs
may help our bees in pollination.
Japan's hornfaced bee. imported
for study in 1978. has been found to
pollinate 80 apple tree flowers for
every one pollinated by a honeybee.
The reason: Hornfaced bees fly
faster and have a definite prefer
ence for apple flowers. They're not
distracted by flowering weeds as are
st) me honeybees.
Employees Given
Birthday Party
Employees of the Raeford plant
of Faberge, Inc., born on June
dates were given a birthday party
Thursday by the management at
the plant cafeteria for lunch.
They are Maurice Hurst. Nancy
McGuire, Lou Monroe, Helen
McAllister, James Purcell, James
Caulder, Pamela Carter, Catherine
Purcell. Carol Beaslev. Chula
Livingston, June McLaughlin.
Johnny Craycraft, Martha Mc
Deaths
And Funerals
Mrs. J&nle T. Monroe
Mrs. Janie Townsend Monroe.
76, of Rt. 2, Raeford, died Sat
urday at her home.
The funeral was conducted Mon
day afternoon in Galatia Presby
terian Church by the Rev. David
Sutton. Burial was in the church
cemetery.
Surviving are her sisters. Mrs.
Treva T. Koonce and Mrs. Walta
Bostic of Raeford. and Mrs.
Ophelia Cameron of Carolina
Beach.
Crumpler Funeral Home was in
charge of the arrangements.
[
Grcgor. Johnnie Galberth. Fletcher
Oxendine. Barbara Chisolm,
Maurice Price. Jr., Major Mc
Queen. James Carter, Caroline
Daniels. Aleatha Locklear. Daniel
Hopler, Chester Branch, Alice
Taylor, Jean Long, John McPhat
ter, Jr., Billy Blackmon, Mae
Jordan, Betty Luckie, Elizabeth
Anderson. Frierson Barnes. Shirley
A. Blue. Doretha Locklear,
Theresa Stubbs, Marcia Smith,
Robert Mattox, and Maude Duffy.
Revival Week Set
For July 26-30
At Solid Rock
A Miracle Revival Week will be
held July 26-30 at Solid Rock
Church of God in Raeford.
The services will start at 7:30
p.m. daily and will be conducted by
the ministers of Solid Rock. The
pastor is Eldress Elouise Campbell.
Everyone is invited.
Trial Inductory
Sis Flossie Taylor will preach her
trial inductory the first Sunday in
July at St. Mary Holiness Church.
The service will start at 7:30 p.m.
Bishop George McKoy is pastor.
Thank You For Your Vote
And Support In
The June 29th Primary
Cleo Bratcher
m
Billy Blackmon just blew out the candles on the birthday cake.
GIRL SCOUT CAMP ? Girl Scouts of all ages will head for Camp Graham
on Kerr Lake near Hendersonville July 25 for a week of fun and learning.
This photo was taken at camp. Girls interested in attending are advised to
contact Karen Rooks at 875-8186.
f
KIDS REVIVAL
The Rev. Del b art Garrison of
Cedar Creek will conduct a
Kids Revival at the Church of
God on Green St. beginning
July 11 thru July 18. The Bar
nyard Gang, Count Sin. Mr.
MacGregor . Georgia and
more will be featured. Each
night there will be games
stories, a puppet show and a
special message preached for
children and their parents.
Services will begin each Sun
day at 6:30 p.m. and Monday '
thru Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Evaryone Is Invited to attend.