38 MANUAL OF VEGETABLE-GARDEN INSECTS 



fly have been found infesting radish, cabbage, eauhflower, ruta- 

 baga and turnij) and liave also been observed abiuidantly in the 

 pods of hipine and field peas, destroying the seeds. The fly 

 closely resembles the adult of the cabbage root-maggot. The 

 male is ^ inch in length and the female about ^ inch. 



The insect hibernates both as adults and as puparia. The 

 female deposits her white, elongate, slightly curved eggs, about 

 ^ inch in length, singly or in loose masses on the roots cr 

 on the leaves near the crown. On hatching, the maggots bur- 

 row into the radish roots rendering them unfit for food. Many 

 maggots often infest the same root and sometimes kill the 

 plant. The full-grow^n maggot is ^ to f inch in length and is 

 whitish or yellowish in color. The body tapers toward the head 

 and is truncate behind. When mature the maggots transform 

 to puparia either within the root or in the surrounding soil. 

 The puparium is about ^ inch in length and brownish in color. 

 There are said to be several generations annually. 



A satisfactory method of control does not seem to have been 

 worked out. 



Reference 

 Essig, Insects of California (Ed. 2), pp. 33G-339. 1915. 



■ The Harlequin Cabbage Bug 



Murgantia histrionica Hahn 



In the last half century the harlequin cabbage bug has spread 

 from its home in Central America and Mexico northward to 

 Nevada, Colorado, the southern part of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, 

 Pennsylvania and New Jersey and to Long Island, New York. 

 It also occurs in California. Except in the extreme northern 

 part of its range, it is a most destructive enemy of cabbage and 

 related plants. It is also known as the terrapin-bug, fire-bug 

 and calico-back. When food is abundant, it usually confines 

 its attacks to plants belonging to the mustard family, being es- 



