206 Forty-fifth Report o.v the State Museum. 



The first appearance of the bugs among the plants should be watched 

 for, that operations against them may be promptly commenced, — or 

 what may be^ntill l)etter, traps should be arranged for them a little in 

 advance of their expected time of coming. In the Northern States tliey 

 geaerally come abroad from their winter hiding places tow-ird the latter 

 pai't of June. The traps may be pieces of bark, chips, bits of wood or 

 strips of board, laid upon the ground near the hills. It is claimed, by 

 some that the best possible trap is found in the leaves stripped from 

 the loM^er part of the plants and spread beneath, as the insects are par- 

 ticularly fond of the juices of the wilted foliage. The traps should be 

 turned over and examined morning and evening, and the bugs which 

 have hidden beneath them for the day (coming abroad at night for the 

 deposit of their eggs), captured and destroyed. 



In addition to the daily examination of the traps, careful inspection 

 should be made of the underside of the lower leaves for the patches of 

 Qo-cr^ that may be deposited on them, which when found are to be 

 crushed. The eggs may be recognized by their being of a dull orange 

 color, flattened on their two sides, and occurring in clusters. Asthe female 

 does not deposit all of her eggs at once, and as fresh bugs continue to 

 make their appearance for the space of two or three weeks, the daily 

 search may be advantageously continued for that length of time and as 

 much longer as the life of the ovipositing female is extended 

 beyond it. 



Later, while searching for the eggs, companies of the ^oung squash- 

 buo-s will be found on the leaves, each with a green body, the head and 

 tliorax black, and the antenna? pink. When two or three days old, the 

 color of their body changes to ash-gray, and the others portions to 

 black. 



The employment of the above remedies involves considerable labor, 

 but where the insect is unusually numerous, it will be amply repaid. 

 If commenced in season and faithfull}^ continued into July, much of the 

 accustomed damage of the notorious pest, will be prevented, and but 

 few of the mature forms with their increased posver for injury will be 

 found during the months of September and October. 

 ■ Care should be taken not to permit the bugs to gather around the 

 base of the main stalk, as they are sometimes wont to do ( for sucking 

 its juice) in such number as to girdle it. This may usually be prevented 

 by drawing awa}' some of the ground from around the stalk and applying 

 a mixture of dry ashes and salt. Without this precaution, it is said that 

 the bno-s will at times burrow into the ground out of sight where they 

 feed securely and unsuspectedly on the sap of the plant. High fertili- 



