300 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 15 



the long dry periods caused much of the early beans to perish which 

 resulted in the destroying of countless numbers of immature stages while 

 the adults sought citrus and shade trees in quest of food. 



TiPBURN On Beans 



It was noted after a few days colonization of the nymph stages on 

 young bean plants, which were grown under insect proof cages, that the 

 tips of infested plants were affected in a manner similar to that caused 

 by spray injury, the adults and nymphs feeding on the mid-veins and 

 branches caused them to collapse, later the tip and margin generally turn- 

 ed upward and took on a Vandyke Brown color as it rolled inward at the 

 edges. The area remaining inside of this rolled margin turned to 

 a pale brown color and, where light infestations occurred there remained 

 small patches of green near the stem end of the leaf. In a light infestation 

 the rolled margins of the leaves would sometimes become broken and fall 

 off, giving the leaf a ragged appearance and still a portion of the leaf would 

 remain green unless it continued to be infested. In severe cases the 

 leaves usually all become dry and drop to the ground and nothing 

 remains standing but the main stem. The kind of soil as 

 well as sunlight did not seem to be of any importance in 

 minimizing burning on the bean plants, hot dry weather seemed to has- 

 ten its developement while humid weather and m^oist soil retarded 

 its developm.ent. Numerous variety tests were m_ade but none 

 showed any particular resistant characteristics except some of the pea 

 bean varieties. 



Natural Enemies 



It was observed that this species was preyed upon by few natural 

 enemies. Several species of spiders occasionally entangled an adult or 

 nymph in their webs, and a species of mite was found feeding on the 

 nymphs. The common small red ant (Dorymyrmex pyramicus) was 

 noticed at frequent occasions as being predaceous upon the nymph stages 



Commencing in July the Parisitic fungus (Entomophthora sphaeros- 

 perma Fresenius) was noted to be attacking both the adults and nymphs 

 of this species. When the disease was contracted they die in several day 

 in the adult with the wings expanded and the conidia bearing threads 

 ■coalescing over the body, especially the softer or fatty parts but often 

 covering the chitinized portions as well. The host after death turns to 

 a pale yellowish tint, while the fungous growth or mat becomes 

 flattened on the upper surface with the color varying from white to 

 Nile green. The writer has experienced some success in artificially 

 cultivating and disseminating this fungus. 



