ASPARAGUS BEETLES AND THEIR CONTROL. 5 



DISTRIBUTION AND MEANS OF SPREAD. 



The common asparagus beetle was introduced at Astoria, near 

 New York City, about 1856. 'From there it soon spread to the 

 asparagus farms in Queens County, N. Y., and by 1862 was reported 

 to have occasioned the destruction of more than one-third of the crops 

 in certain locaUties, the loss being estimated at $50,000. 



To date the common asparagus beetle has been reported in 19 

 States and the District of Columbia and in several locahties in 

 Canada. Its knowoi distribution now extends from Toronto, Canada, 

 through New York and New England, except Maine, to southern 

 North Carolina and westward to the border line between Illinois 



Fig. 3.— Map showing distribution of the common asparagus beetle in the United States and Canada as 

 recorded up to the year 1917. 



and Iowa, and in addition it has been reported from one locality, 

 Boulder, in Colorado, and three in California. (See fig. 3.) Un- 

 doubtedly many localities in addition to those shown on the map 

 win be added in time, for it is rather certain that the insect occurs 

 elsewhere in Canada and in some of our States, such as Maine, Iowa, 

 Wisconsin, and lUinois. This species appeared at Bouldin Island, 

 Cal., in 1904, but disappeared subsequently, probably owing to the 

 fact that the island had been flooded, causing the extermination of 

 the pest. 



The common asparagus beetle has been widely disseminated 

 mainly by what are termed "commercial jumps," either through 

 the presence of hibernating beetles and pupae in shipments of propa- 

 gating roots or by the accidental carriage of the beetles on railroad 

 trains or boats. 



The natural spread of the insect has been mainly by the flight of 

 the beetles. Undoubtedly, also, the beetles have been carried from 



