New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 261 



of this fly are laid on the body of the beetles. After hatching 

 from its egg, the maggot eats its way into the body of the beetle 

 where it proceeds to devour its host from within. The parasites 

 undoubtedly cause the retarded development found in many of 

 the beetles when dissected. 



Entomologists who have bred these parasites have always ob- 

 tained but one species of fly; hence I assume that the maggot 

 found by dissections was that of a fly called Celatoria diahroticae 

 Shimer. 



Worms. — I am unable to find in any of the entomological 

 writings, mention of the fact that a species of nematode, " Eel- 

 worm," occurs as a parasite within the body of the striped beetle. 

 Several beetles were found to have vast numbers of these parasites 

 within their bodies. Whether this worm found by dissection 

 within the bodies of the beetles is closely related to the trichina 

 that infests swine and causes " measly pork " or is related to the 

 anguillule that infests plants, remains to be proven. As all the 

 material was preser\^ed simply for the dissection of the beetle, 

 none of the worms were obtained in the best condition for micro- 

 scopic study. 



REMEDIES. 



Although certain classes of agricultural paper writers have an- 

 nually, for nearly fifty years, recommended various foul-smelling 

 remedies which are warranted to keep the striped beetle away 

 from cucumbers, squashes and melons, this pest continues to be as 

 injurious as ever and seems to be constantly increasing in numbers. 

 If the remedies which are warranted to keep the beetles away 

 from the vines would do so, even though the beetles are not killed, 

 there ought to be a decrease in their number; since, so far as is 

 known, the beetles breed on no plants except the squash, melon, 

 cucumber and plants closely related to them. 



POISONS. 



As shown under '' Habits," there are only two short periods 

 during which the striped cucumber beetle can be actually killed 



