CORN INSECTS 231 



female the front wings are darker, sometimes nearly black but 

 forms occur in which they are reddish. The moths are inactive, 

 feign death when disturbed, and fall to the ground with wings 

 and antennae drawn closely to the body. Their flight is swift 

 but of short duration. There are apparently four generations 

 annually in South Carolina. 



The injury caused by the lesser corn stalk-borer may be 

 prevented in part by clearing the field of crop remnants in 

 the fall and by plowing the land in late fall or early winter 

 to destroy the insects in their winter quarters. In some cases 

 early planting will cause the crop to escape serious infestation. 



References 



Riley, U. S. Ent. Rept. for 1881 and 1882, pp. 142-145. 

 U. S. Div. Ent. Bull. 23, pp. 17-22. 1900. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 539. 1917. 



The Bro^vn Fruit-Chafer 



Eu/phoria inda Linnaeus 



The ears of sweet corn are sometimes injured in the fall 

 by a thick-set, yellowish brown beetle J inch or more in length. 

 Its wing-covers are sprinkled all over with small, irregular black 

 dots. These beetles appear in late summer or early fall and feed 

 on the pollen of flowers, ripe fruit and corn in the milk. They 

 attack the tip of the ear, working down under the husk and 

 devouring the unripe kernels. After feeding for some time, they 

 go into hibernation and very early the next spring may be seen 

 flying close to the ground with a loud buzzing sound. 



The female deposits her white, nearly spherical eggs in the 

 vicinity of manure heaps, in piles of rotting sod and other 

 decaying vegetable matter. When full-grown the larva is some- 

 what over an inch in length, strongly curved and dirty white 

 in color ; the posterior part of the body has a dull leaden hue 



