BEET CARRION BEETLE, 5Y 
Beet Carrion Beetle. Silpha opaca, Linn. 
SmpHA opacA.—1-4, larvee, nat. size and magnified; 5, 6, beetles, magnified, 
natural length about five lines. 
Beet Carrion Beetle is an attack which is seldom noticed, but 
which is exceedingly destructive at times to young Mangolds; and in 
the past season I was favoured with the following note of its persistent 
recurrence for the past few years to a slight extent, and its very bad 
attack in the past season on ground at Batworthy, Chagford, near 
Newton Abbot, Devonshire, by Mr. F. N. Budd:—‘‘ You may remember 
that four years ago I reported to you an outbreak of the larve of the 
Carrion Beetle in my Mangold-crop at Batworthy, a small farm on 
Dartmoor, a few miles from Chagford. You gave an account of the 
occurrence in your Report for the year 1891, of which you kindly sent 
me a copy. 
‘*My Mangolds have suffered slightly from the larve every year 
since, but this year the crop (luckily a small one) has been almost 
entirely destroyed by them. I am sorry that, not being in residence, 
I have been unable to make any careful observations; but a visit to 
Batworthy a few days ago showed me the crop nearly destroyed, and 
the iarve present in great numbers.” —(I’. N. B.) 
These larve, or grubs, are black (so that they are not always 
recognized as being really grubs); they grow to as much as five-eighths 
or nearly three-quarters of an inch in length, and much resemble in 
shape the creature known as a Wood-louse. There is, however, some 
variety both in shape and colour. Occasionally the grubs have a 
narrow tawny-coloured edge, and sometimes, as shown at figure 3, 
they have the exact Wood-louse-like shape; sometimes they are 
narrower, as shown at figure 4 (in outline), and it is this shape which 
I have most frequently received. The rounded edge of the three 
segments behind the head, and the sharp edges of the succeeding 
segments, giving a saw-like appearance to the sides of the grub, are 
characteristic. 
The method of attack was found by Mr. D. Sym Scott, of Ballina- 
