140 MANUAL OF VEGETABLE-GARDEN INSECTS 



large, separated by a narrow neck from the nearly globnlar 

 united thorax and abdomen. At the tip of the latter there is 

 a forked, tail-like appendage which when at rest is held close 

 to the underside of the body and by means of which the insect 

 is able to throw itself into the air. This habit has suggested 

 the name of garden flea for these insects. 



The garden springtail has a wide range, having been reported 

 from the northern United States, Europe, Japan and subant- 

 arctic America. It has been reported as injurious in Maine, 

 Massachusetts, New York, Indiana and Virginia. It attacks 

 cucumber, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, lettuce, bean, 

 pea, cabbage, radish, turnip, kale, onion, beet, spinach, carrot, 

 potato, tomato and tobacco and has also been found infesting 

 wheat, rye and clover. The insects appear in great numbers 

 just as the plants are coming up and so injure the leaves as 

 either to stunt or kill the seedlings. The insects disappear in 

 two or three weeks, practically all of the injury being done ]>y 

 the time the second or third true leaves appear. The life history 

 of this springtail does not appear to have been worked out. 



Injury to seedlings by springtails may be prevented by dust- 

 ing them with tobacco dust or air-slaked lime when they first 

 come up and again in about a w^eek if the insects are still present. 

 The plants may be assisted to outgrow the injury by the appli- 

 cation of a quick-acting fertilizer and by thorough early culti- 

 vation. 



Reference 



Fitch, 8th Rept. State Ent. N. Y. for 1863, pp. 186-191 in 7th to 9th 

 Repts. 1865. 



Other Cucumber, Squash and Melon Insects 



Corn ear- worm : 211 

 Southern corn root-worm : 222 

 Western corn root-worm : 225 

 Stink-bugs: 232 

 Garden web worm : 18 



