436 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 5 



The pupal period as determined in the laboratory, varied from ten 

 to twelve days. Pupation takes place in cells of varying lengthS; the 

 tops of which are always on a level with the surface of the ground. 

 When ready to emerge, the beetle cuts an oval opening about three 

 sixteenths of an inch in diameter in the now dry stem usuallj'^ an inch 

 or two above the ground. If the weather is warm it feeds somewhat 

 on the young leaves around the base of the dock, but from the scarcity 

 of beetles in the field after the first week in September, they evidently 

 go into winter quarters soon after emerging. 



If Rumex crispus is cut off several inches from the ground between 

 the middle and end of July and rain occurs soon afterwards, a large 

 percentage of the larvae will die owing to the decay which sets in, 

 practically all being in the roots at that time. 



THE SUGAR-BEET WEB WORM 



Loxostege sticticalis Linn 

 r. B. Paddock, College Station, Texas 



The investigation represented in this paper was stimulated by an 

 outbreak of the pest in the sugar-beet fields of Colorado in the summer 

 of 1909. At that time the insect had infiicted severe damage before 

 the growers were aware of it and Avere at a loss for control measures. 

 A siinilar outbreak had occurred in 1903 but had evidently been of short 

 duration. The writer endeavored to determine the life history and 

 habits of the insect in that locality and to find, if possible, some control 

 measures. 



"For some reason writers on this species appear to have overlooked 

 the fact that it is not native, but introduced from abroad, presumably 

 on the Pacific coast, whence it spread eastward to Colorado and Ne- 

 braska. From specimens in the National Museum it seems that the 

 insect was collected at Palmer, Utah, in July, 1869, which is evidence 

 that it must have been introduced many years earlier. In 1873, it 

 was taken in Central Missouri. It is also recorded from Winnipeg, 

 Manitoba, as well as from several localities in Nebraska, Kansas and 

 Michigan." ^ 



The insect made its first appearance in Colorado in 1891 but did 

 not become a pest Until 1903.-, In Nebraska the first outbreak of the 



i Chittenden, F. H. Bureau of Entomology Bulletin, No. 33 pp. 46-49. 

 2 Gillette, C. P. Colorado Experiment Station Bulletin No. 98. 



