﻿— 
  86 
  — 
  

  

  that 
  an 
  immense 
  swarm 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  noticed 
  at 
  Normal, 
  Illinois^ 
  

   October 
  3d, 
  the 
  insects 
  flying 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  high 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  from 
  three 
  

   to 
  five 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  

  

  Clean 
  culture 
  and 
  the 
  burning 
  of 
  trash 
  — 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  food 
  

   and 
  the 
  second 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  winter 
  quarters 
  — 
  will 
  check 
  the 
  multipli- 
  

   cation 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  similar 
  insects. 
  

  

  THE 
  COMMON 
  FLOWER 
  BUG. 
  

   Triphleps 
  insidiosus 
  Say. 
  

   This 
  is 
  an 
  insect 
  of 
  so 
  uncertain 
  habit 
  and 
  varied 
  food 
  that 
  its 
  in- 
  

   sertion 
  in 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  species 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  beet 
  is 
  of 
  doubtful 
  propriety. 
  

   The 
  fairly 
  common 
  occurrence 
  on 
  the 
  beet 
  plant 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  both 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  

   render 
  it, 
  however, 
  an 
  object 
  of 
  suspicion 
  and 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  brief 
  treatment 
  here. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  minute 
  

   flattened 
  bug, 
  black, 
  with 
  yellowish 
  wing 
  tips^ 
  

   everywhere 
  distributed, 
  and 
  on 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  

   of 
  plants. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  charged 
  with 
  serious 
  in- 
  

   jury 
  to 
  chrysanthemum 
  shoots, 
  causing 
  them 
  to 
  

   curl 
  and 
  stopping 
  their 
  growth, 
  and 
  Osborn 
  re- 
  

   ports 
  it 
  as 
  actually 
  puncturing 
  clover 
  blossoms 
  

  

  Fig. 
  16. 
  The 
  Common 
  Flower 
  ^ 
  •' 
  ^ 
  ° 
  _ 
  

  

  Bug, 
  Triphleps 
  insidiosiis. 
  (Os- 
  with 
  itS 
  bcakj* 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  evidence 
  con- 
  

   born, 
  U.S.Depl. 
  of 
  Agriculture.) 
  cerning 
  its 
  food 
  habits 
  indicates 
  insectivorous 
  

   propensities. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  devouring 
  young 
  chinch-bugs, 
  the 
  Phyl- 
  

   loxera 
  of 
  the 
  grape, 
  young 
  Thripidce, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  boll- 
  

   worm. 
  We 
  have 
  observed 
  it 
  also 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  minute 
  soft 
  larvse 
  of 
  

   the 
  clover 
  midge, 
  and 
  in 
  confinement 
  individuals 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  will 
  

   attack 
  each 
  other. 
  The 
  available 
  data 
  do 
  not 
  determine 
  its 
  stage 
  of 
  

   hibernation. 
  We 
  have 
  not 
  found 
  it 
  as 
  an 
  adult 
  earlier 
  than 
  April 
  30th 
  

   nor 
  later 
  than 
  October 
  26th. 
  Most 
  of 
  our 
  specimens 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  May 
  

   and 
  during 
  the 
  late 
  summer 
  and 
  fall. 
  Young 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  us 
  on 
  

   beets 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  September, 
  and 
  adults 
  occur 
  on 
  this 
  plant 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  season, 
  mostly 
  out 
  of 
  sight 
  between 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  leaves. 
  

  

  THE 
  LEAF-BUGS. 
  

   Capsida. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  suctorial 
  insects 
  which 
  sometimes 
  do 
  a 
  rather 
  indefinite 
  

   but 
  serious 
  injury 
  to 
  beets 
  by 
  sucking 
  out 
  the 
  sap 
  from 
  leaf 
  and 
  leaf- 
  

   stalk, 
  the 
  large 
  and 
  varied 
  group 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  leaf-bugs, 
  or 
  Capsidce^ 
  

   may 
  usually 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  their 
  flat 
  backs, 
  their 
  comparatively 
  soft 
  

   bodies, 
  their 
  active 
  movements 
  and 
  ready 
  flight, 
  and 
  the 
  yellowish 
  

  

  ♦Insect 
  Life, 
  Vol. 
  I., 
  p. 
  122. 
  

  

  