ENTOMOLOGY 403 



The currant borer, aegeria tepuliformis, is one of those destructive 

 insects that are exceedingly difficult to circumvent. The egg of the 

 insect is deposited in the stem just beneath the surface of the ground. 

 The larvte enter jO the center, and then follow the pith. I know of no 

 way of effectually preventing their depredations. The best that we can do 

 is to cut off the supply by carefully hunting out the affected canes, collect- 

 ing and burning them before the perfected insect makes his escape. 



The squash beetle, diabootica vittata, the striped beetle, is perhaps the 

 most common, though the diabootica punctata, or the twelve-spotted beetle, 

 is almost as common and equally undesirable. Their habits are familiar to 

 almost every one. Their invasion of the garden is sudden, coming about 

 the last of May, when the squashes, cucumbers and melons have attained 

 from one to live leaves, taking out all the soft portion of the young leaves, 

 leaving only the skeleton. They deposit their eggs in the main stem, 

 just at the top of the ground, and the larv« generally succeed in cutting 

 off the plant. I think there is no better remedy than very fine road dust 

 mixed with a small portion of sulphur, frequently applied to the parts 

 occupied by the insect. Their stay is short, and a few days of close atten- 

 tion to them will be likely to save the plants from destruction. 



The potato bug, or the Colorado beetle, is another insect that is capable of 

 much mischief, but, happily, we are in possession of a remedy that is 

 effectual for his suppression and destruction, though when destroyed he, 

 like the politician, is forever bobbing up again. Paris green (arsenate of 

 copper), sparingly dissolved in water, is death to this vicious bug. It 

 should be applied as soon as the plants appear above ground, so as to de- 

 stroy the parent bugs before they deposit their eggs. 



