396 INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OF CALIFORNIA. 



to fifty in the unfolded blades of grass near the base of the plants. 

 As many as seven hundred may be deposited by a single insect. 

 They hatch in a little over a week and the young worms at once begin 

 to attack green vegetation, feeding entirely by night. In from three 

 to four weeks the larvae are full-grown and enter the earth where a 

 small cell is constructed and pupation takes place, the adults emerging 

 in about two weeks. There are from three to six broods a year. 



Nature of Work. — The larva? often move together in great numbers, 

 giving rise to the common name, armyworm. Their favorite food is 

 the stalks and blades of grasses, but they also devour the foliage and 

 stems of many other plants. In not a few cases the entire plants are 

 completely devoured. 



Distribution. — This insect is very common throughout the entire 

 State. 



Food Plants. 271 ' — Grasses are the favorite food of this spe i: s. bin 

 alfalfa, foliage of apple trees, barley, cabbage, corn, eggplant, Texas 

 blue-grass, millet, oals, peas, pepper, potato, radish, tomato, wheat 

 and other crops are also severely attacked. 



Natural Enemies. — The internal hymenopterous parasites, Bhogas 

 terminalis Cr., 280 Apanteles militaris Walsh, 281 Hemitdcs iaticinctus 

 Riley, 282 Pezomachus minimus Walsh, 283 Mesochorus scitulus ( , r., LSI 

 Limneriwm oxyhts Cr.,'-' ;5 Bassus scuieXlatus Cr. 2S6 and the red-tailed 

 tachina fly (Wintkcmia 4-pustulata) attack this worm. Only the last 

 one. however, occurs in California. 



THE CORN EAR-WORM ST 



Chlorides obsoleta (Fabricius) 

 (Bontbyw obsoletn Fabricius i 



(Noctua miiiiucr HQbner) 



[Heliothis armiger (Iliibner)] 



(Fig. 397) 



Description. — The adult moths are day and night flyers and are 

 exceedingly common. They are nearly 1 inch long and grayish or 

 brownish in color, with or without markings upon the fore wings. 

 The eggs are dirty yellowish-whi+e in color. The larva? are nearly 2 

 inches long when full-grown and vary from yellowish to brownisb 

 in color, with longitudinal gray and white stripes and with eight 

 dark spots or tubercles on each segment. The pupa? are rich brown. 



Life History. — The winter is passed by the pupa? in the soil. Adults 

 begin to emerge in early spring and deposit their eggs upon various 

 host plants and upon the new silk of young ears of corn. The larva 1 

 immediately begin to feed and mature in about one month. When 

 full-grown they enter the soil and pupate, emerging as adults in a 

 few weeks. There are several broods a year. 



^Insect Life, I, pp. 375-376, 1889. 



*s°Insect Life, II. p. 351. 1890. 



"-'Insect Life, III, p. 17, 1890. 



"-'-Insect Life, III, p. 153, 1890. 



^Insect Life, III, p. 154, 1890. 



H»l nsec t Life, III, p. 156, 1890. 



-"Insect Life. Ill, p. 157, 1890. 



-^Insert Life. Ill, p. 460, 1891. 



- v7 Tliis insect is also known as the tomato worm and the cotton bollworm. 



