304 journal of economic entomology [vol. 9 



Natural Enemies 



Among natural enemies observed were two species of Calosoma^ 

 semilaeve Lee. and cancellatum Esch. which contributed to the destruc- 

 tion of this cutworm. Although predaceous insects and parasites — 

 among which the Ichneumonidse must l)e mentioned^ — destroy an- 

 nually a great number of cutworms, practical remedies must be found 

 to help these natural enemies in the control of this pest. 



Methods of Control 



In some cases rolling a young stand of beets has been very successful, 

 in other cases no benefit was derived from this operation. If the stand 

 of beets is completely destroyed or not worth saving, the cheapest and 

 best way is to replant the crop, but at least three to four weeks must 

 elapse between the two plantings. Local conditions must, naturalh% 

 be taken into consideration. In the season of 1914 no damage bj^ 

 cutworms to young beets was reported. April 20 was the date of the 

 first outbreak on beets. These already had large foliage upon which 

 spraying with arsenicals was tested. 



Control by Gasoline Power-Sprayer 



A gasoline power sprayer provided with a fifty-gallon barrel and one 

 horsepower gasoline engine capable of maintaining while spraying a 

 pressure of about one hundred and twenty pounds was used. This 

 outfit was mounted on a light wagon with adjustable axles in order to 

 circulate between sixteen and eighteen-inch rows of beets. Two men 

 were required to handle the spraying outfit; one to drive and the other 

 to attend the pump, watch the nozzles and prepare the mixture. The 

 poison was applied at the rate of two pounds of Paris green to fifty 

 gallons of water with the addition of one pound of molasses in order to 

 render the solution more adhesive. Two or even three applications 

 were required to check the work of the cutworms and these applications 

 were made at an interval of four days. After the second application, 

 the voracity of the cutworms decreased considerably. This device 

 covered four rows of beets and sprayed about ten acres of beets in a 

 day at the following cost: 



Depreciation of apparatus SO . 35 



Gasoline .25 



Ten lbs. Paris green 2 . 00 



Two horses and two men . 6 . 50 



.$9.10 

 This is approximately SO. 90 per acre for each application. 



One of the species reared is Enicospiliis purgatus Say. 



