U.S. WWII Pub for Teens: Combating Insects
- Jeffrey A. Rothermel
- May 25
- 5 min read
Updated: May 26
by Jeffrey A. Rothermel
May 25, 2025
Captain's Log:
The Forgotten Chapter
of the
Bug War
4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318 was originally published by the U.S. Government in February of 1939. A 1943 version recently caught my attention. The words "Slightly revised April 1943" intrigued me. What would cause the U.S. Government to slightly revise a publication for young farmers?
Short Answer:
World War Two
The "slight revision" was two new pages with Roman Numerals I and II. They were inserted into the front of the booklet concerning the use of insecticides. There is little doubt the U.S. Government endorsed young people using insecticides on the food supply with minimal [to no] adult supervision. It was a time of war. Extreme measures were required. Once the war was over, subsequent publications no longer had the "INSECT CONTROL AN AID TO THE WAR EFFORT." It was literally, a forgotten chapter.
"INSECT CONTROL AN AID TO THE WAR EFFORT"
"Now, in time of war, the need for maximum production of foods and fibers and for protection of those already produced makes insect control more important than ever before. Greater difficulties will be encountered in putting such control measures into effect. Because of the scarcity of farm labor, it will be necessary for every 4-H club member to learn about control of insect pests and to do his part in combating insects affecting the crops, livestock, stored products, and woolens on his farm."
"TECHNICAL GUIDANCE WILL BE SCARCE"
"4-H club members will have less entomological guidance during the war, because many entomologists have entered the Army, Navy, or Public Health Service as technical advisers. ... ... ... "However, entomologists who remain on the job at State colleges and experiment stations and in the Federal Government are always ready to be of service."
"YOUR JOB IS BIGGER"
"In the absence of the older menfolk, 4-H'ers will have to do more of the spraying and dusting. In Cotton States, farmers and planters should know the insect populations and apply insecticides only when necessary. Club members will want to help in insecticide conservation, not only by avoiding the use of unessential materials and the cost of applying them, but by economical application of insecticides need. This conservation applies to control of insects affecting fruits and vegetables as well as those affecting cotton and other crops."
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VERSION ONE.
The U.S. Government printed the 63-page guide in 1939 with a retail list price of ten cents to the public. Insect population control was not mentioned in the document.
VERSION TWO.
Four years later an update to the 4-H guide was made. The April 1943 war time edition led off with "INSECT CONTROL AN AID TO THE WAR EFFORT." Page II stated: "By fighting insect pests, we are fighting the enemy, even though we are far removed from the actual fields of battle." That sentence made me think about Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 book Starship Troopers. [Also a 1997 film.]
VERSION THREE.
Once the war was over, the U.S. Government updated the 4-H manual in 1949. Using the internet and searching the U.S. digital archive, I found a 1949 version. A digitized 1949 printing of 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318 mentions that it was issued in February 1939. It adds that it was "slightly revised March 1949." Oddly, it makes no mention of the slight 1943 revision. It is worth saying again. The March 1949 edition made no mention of the April 1943 revision. It was as if, the two pages of guidance during the war should be forgotten. The 1949 pamphlet did not have Roman Numeral pages I & II. The 1949 booklet had more details about insecticides at the back end of the booklet. Page 57 states: "In fact, against certain forest insects, as little as 44 to 1 pound of DDT to 1 gallon of solution to the acre has been found to give good control." The first blank page of the digitized document states:
"Historic, archived document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices."
The U.S. Government no longer publishes the 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL. Why the U.S. Government no longer publishes a guide for young people about the application of insecticide (eventually DDT) is for the reader to decide. One should read the totality of literature on the subject to get a full understanding.
It caused me to do a bit more cyber sleuthing.
There are at least four versions of 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL. The various versions of the 4-H Manual are snap shots in time. What was known about the American grasshopper in 1939 didn't change much in the various versions. The revisions appear to have been driven by the known science and governmental policies of insecticide use.
First: 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. February 1939. Pages 1-63. List price ten cents.
Second: 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. Slightly revised April 1943. Pages I-II. 1-63. List price ten cents.
Third: 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Slightly revised April 1949. Contents. 1-64. List price twenty cents.
Fourth: 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Agricultural Handbook No. 65, Formerly Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Issued Febuary1954. Contents. 1-64. List price thirty cents.
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WTB (Wanted To Buy).
Having all the physical versions of the 4-H Guide side by side intrigues me. I am in the WTB: (Wanted To Buy) mode. If you bring in a 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL that I do not have, I will pay $8. I will pay $16 for the first copy offered of a 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. February 1939. [Note: The offer is for people that physically walk through the door of my bookstore. No appointment necessary.]
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Summary
Every day is a new "vintage" mystery at Captain's Book Shoppe. You are welcome to stop by the showroom to review the current dark art mysteries. Printed material since its beginning has been controversial. Seeing what people chose to print and opted not to print is a fascinating journey.
Captain's Book Shoppe LLC
1570 South 1st Avenue, Suite H
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
USA
Store Phone: (319) 351-3166
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Source.
Jones, M.P. 4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. Revised Edition. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, April, 1939
Find it at CAPTAIN'S BOOK SHOPPE LLC eBay Site: https://www.ebay.com/itm/405894937677?itmmeta=01JW699WG89JRC3APBVRQS395Y&hash=item5e81393c4d:g:-DkAAOSw9gloMhQf
Digital Notes:
A digital copy of the 1939 version of the "4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL" does not have the passages concerning food production during war. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/132233#page/3/mode/1up
The U.S. Archive has a digital copy of the slightly revised 1943 version of "4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318." Instead of paying cash to me, you can review a comparable document for free at: https://archive.org/details/4hclubinsectmanu318jone_2/page/n3/mode/2up
The U.S. archive has a digital copy of the 1949 version of "4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL Miscellaneous Publication No. 318" printed in 1949 by the U.S. Government Printing Office. "For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. - Price 20 cents" (Refer to page 65). https://ia803204.us.archive.org/31/items/4hclubinsectmanu318jone/4hclubinsectmanu318jone.pdf The passage about the "absence of the older menfolk" is not in the 1949 version.
A digital copy of the 1954 "4-H CLUB INSECT MANUAL" Agricultural Handbook No. 65 Formerly Miscellaneous Publication No. 318. can be downloaded for free from a U.S. Government website. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-A-PURL-gpo18371/pdf/GOVPUB-A-PURL-gpo18371.pdf The listed price is thirty cents.
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Miscellaneous Notes:
Today the 4-H website has fourteen results for curriculum about insects. They range in price from $2.25 to $69.50. None are printed by the U.S. Government. Some of the curriculum originates from land grant colleges such as Iowa State University.
The U.S. Government still publishes a 69-page guide "COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS AND MITES: TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS." EDITED BY M. E. SCHAUFF* Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA National Museum of Natural History. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80420580/CollectingandPreservingInsectsandMites/collpres.pdf
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