28 



over each other and looking anything but attractive. Flowers of almost 

 any kind are devoured by them, and they also carry their work of de- 

 struction to the partially formed apples. After being in profusion for 

 about a month they disappear as suddenly as they came. 



The beetle is of a dull yellowish brown color, half an inch long with 

 very long, spiny legs, from which it gets its scientific name. It is a dif- 

 ficult creature to do anything with, as Paris green has little, or no effect 

 upon it. In gardens the best plan is to destroy the insect by hand-pick- 

 ing, or by jarring: from the plants into pans containing a little coal oil ; 

 this should be done in the morning and evening when the beetles are not 

 so lively as in the heat of the day. The breeding places, if they can he 

 discovered, should be plowed up and planted with some crop. In any 

 case no pastures should be allowed to remain long in grass, but should 

 be treated in a regular rotation of crops as in the case of other fields ■ if 

 let alone they gradually become the homes of May beetles or "June- 

 bugs," wire-worms, and other destructive insects. 



Fig. 41. — The spotted Pelidnota : a grab, b pupa, c beetle. 



The Spotted Pelidnota (Pelidnota punctata), Fig. 41. A third and 

 very much larger beetle is to be numbered among the insects attacking 

 the vine; it is a handsome creature, about an inch and a half in length, 

 oval in shape, and very convex above. The head is black, the thorax 

 somewhat bronzed, and the wing-covers clay-yellow with three black spots 

 on each side ; the under surface is dark metallic green. These beetles 

 may be found upon the vines eating the foliage during July and August; 

 they belong to the same family as the Rose-chafer and the May-beetle, 

 but fortunately do not appear in large numbers. The grubs feed upon 

 rotten wood in decaying stumps and logs, and are not injurious in that 

 stage. 



