540 AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



incision, with her snout, through the skin of the fruit. In this incision 

 she lays a single egg, which she pushes with her snout to the bottom 

 of the cavity that she has prepared . She then makes a crescent-shaped 

 incision in front of the one containing the egg. This last cut under- 

 mines the egg, leaving it in a little flap. The larvae feed within the 

 fruit. In the case of the plums the infested fruit falls to the ground ; 

 but not so with cherries. When full-grown the lan^ae go into the ground 

 to transform. This species infests nectarines, apricots, and peaches, 

 as well as phmis and cherries. This insect is fought in two ways : 

 the beetles are jarred from the trees upon sheets in early spring, and 

 destroyed before they have laid their eggs ; they are also poisoned by 

 spraying the trees with arsenate of lead, either alone or combined 

 with a fungicide before the fruit is large enough for them to oviposit 

 in it. The adult beetle feeds upon the foliage, and can thus be poisoned. 

 The apple-curculio, Anthonomus quadriglbhus, infests the fruit of 

 apple, often in company with the plum-curculio. The specific name 

 was suggested by the fact that there are two wart-like projections 

 near the hind end of each wing-cover. 



_ The strawberry-weevil, Anthonomus signdtus, infests 



strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, and dewberry. The 

 female beetle (Fig. 663) after laying an egg in the fiower- 

 „. ,^ bud causes it to fall by cutting the pedicel; the larva de- 

 ^^' ^' velops within the fallen bud. 



The cotton-boll weevil, Anthonomus grdndis, is one of the most 

 serious insect pests known in the United States. It infests only cotton. 

 The egg is deposited in a young boll, which the larva destroys. The 

 adults also feed upon the young bolls and upon the leaves, doing as 

 much or more damage than that done by the larvae. This species is 

 a native of Central America. It spread through Mexico, and entered 

 Texas about 1890. Since that time it has spread over a large part 

 of the cotton-belt. Very extensive investigations of this pest have 

 been made by the Federal Government and by several state govern- 

 ments ; and much literature regarding it is available to those interested. 

 The subfamily Calendrin^ includes the bill-bugs and the grain- 

 weevils, some of which are among our more common snout-beetles. 

 The larvae of the larger species feed upon the roots and bore in the 

 stems of plants, especially grass and corn, while those of 

 the smaller species infest grains and seeds. 



Most of our larger species belong to the genus Sphenoph- 

 orus; one of these is represented in Figure 664. These 

 are of medium or rather large size, and are often marked 

 in a very characteristic manner by longitudinal elevated 

 bands of darker color; frequently, when collected, they 

 are covered with a coat of clay. They are commonly known 

 as the bill-bugs. One species, Sphenophorus maidts, is an ^^^- ^^4- 

 important pest of corn in the South ; it bores in the tap- 

 root and lower part of the stalk. Most of the beetles hibernate in the 

 corn-stubble, and can be destroyed by piilling out and burning the 

 stubble. 



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