STRAWBERUr INSECTS 381 



the strawberry in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa, The favorite 

 haunts of these beetles are under stones and rubbish on the 

 ground, hence the usual mulch on a strawlxTry IxhI forms an 

 ideal lurking plac(^ for them. The larvae are said to ])e prc^da- 

 ceous, and the beetles themselves have been generally considered 

 as beneficial insects. While their favorite^ food consists of other 

 insects, they are often seen in the fall on ragwecnl, feeding on 



Fig. 332. — Male and female of a ground-beetle, Harpalus caiiginosus (x 2). 



the seeds. Both species are attracted to electric lights, where 

 they often occur in immense numbers. Very httle is known 

 in regard to the Ufe history or habits of the early stages of these 

 beetles, and no explanation has been offered to account for 

 their sudden appearance in such numbers in strawberry beds. 



As strawberry pests these beetles have been kno>vn to destroy 

 a crop almost completely in a day or two. They hide during 

 the day by thousands beneath the straw mulch and emerge 

 at dusk to feed on the seeds of the berries. At first only the 

 seeds are eaten (Fig. 333), but later most of the pulp of the ripe 



