INSECTS AFFECTING THE SQUASH, MELON 

 AND CUCUMBER. 



INJURING THE ROOT. 



The Squash- vine Borer. 



Aegeria cucurbit;/ . 

 The roots and stems of cucurbitaceous plants are 

 frequently infested with a whitish larva that feeds 

 upon their inner substance, often doing so serious a 

 damage as to cause the plant to wilt and die. The 

 parent of this Squash-vine Borer is one of the Aege- 

 rian moths, several kinds of which are represented 

 at Plate II (p. 28). 

 It is a handsome 

 insect (Fig. 90), 

 about half an 

 inch long, with 



an Orange-Colored Fig. 90. Squash Vine-borer: larva and moth. 



body ornamented by several black spots upon the 

 back, and having olive-brown front wings and trans- 

 parent hind ones. Eggs are deposited by this moth 

 upon the stems of the young plants near the roots, 

 and the larvae resulting burrow into the center and 

 feed upon the succulent interior. They remain here 

 several weeks, gradually increasing in size. Toward 

 the end of summer they become full grown (Fig. 90),. 

 when they measure about an inch in length, and are 

 whitish with brown heads. They now leave the- 



