Variegated Cutworm White Grubs 



The Worm 



The worm (Fig. 7, Plate VII, Page 23) is variable in color, ranging 

 from a very pale to almost a dark brown. Some light individuals have 

 a greenish tinge. The upper part is mottled with various shades of 

 brown and in the darker worms some black. On each side is a con- 

 spicuous yellow stripe and above this a dark stripe broken into a row 

 of crescent spots, as shown in the figure. The most characteristic mark- 

 ing is the row of yellow spots in the center of the back on the forward 

 half of the body. 



The Moth 



The moth, like the worm, varies in color. The one shown in Figure 

 15, Plate VII, Page 23, is of the dark type, the other extreme being very 

 much lighter, while all gradations of color between the two occur. Like 

 the moths of most cutworms, the adult variegated cutworm flies princi- 

 pally during the night when it is attracted by strong lights. Advantage 

 of this fact is sometimes taken in applying control measures. 



LIFE HISTORY 



As is likely to be the case with insects which range over so large 

 a territory, the seasonal history of the variegated cutworm varies with 

 the locality. It is known to pass the winter in every stage from the egg 

 to the adult moth, depending upon the latitude. In Northern Colorado 

 it probably passes the winter in the pupal stage or as a partly grown 

 worm. There are two, possibly three, generations produced annually 

 in the latitude of Northern Colorado. The damage is done largely by 

 the first and second broods. The third brood, when produced, usually 

 comes too late to do any great damage during the fall. However, these 

 late hatched worms may hibernate over winter, in which case damage 

 may be done the following spring. 



2. WHITE GRUBS 



(Figs. 19, 20 and 23, Plate I, Page 11) 



White grubs are the larvae of several species of rather robust beetles 

 commonly known as May beetles or June bugs. These beetles often 

 enter houses at night, being attracted by the lights. At such times 

 they fly awkwardly about, their wings making a loud humming noise. 

 Their flight usually ends abruptly as they collide with the wall or some 

 object in the room and fall heavily to the floor. 



These insects belong to a large family, some species of which are 

 scavengers, while others feed upon living plants. The latter do much 

 damage to crops, especially in the Mississippi Valley and eastward. 



The Sacred Beetle of Egypt belongs to this family. This beetle 

 was held in high veneration by the ancient Egyptians. It was placed in 

 the tombs with their dead. The members of this group we know as 

 "tumble-bugs," from their habit of rolling about large balls of dung in 

 which their eggs are laid. To the Egyptians this ball was symbolic of 

 the earth and the beetle of the sun. The thirty joints of the feet were 

 taken to represent the days of the month. It was supposed that all of 

 these beetles were males. This was taken to symbolize a race of warriors, 



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