﻿91 
  — 
  

  

  Fig. 
  i8. 
  The 
  Tarnished 
  Plant-bug, 
  Lygus 
  pra- 
  

   tensis, 
  adult. 
  

  

  black 
  dots 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   thorax 
  and 
  one 
  dot 
  on 
  the 
  abdo- 
  

   men. 
  It 
  swarms 
  on 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  cultivated 
  plants, 
  flying 
  

   up 
  readily 
  when 
  disturbed. 
  It 
  is 
  

   very 
  common 
  in 
  beet 
  fields, 
  where 
  

   every 
  observing 
  fruit-grower 
  must 
  

   have 
  noticed 
  it, 
  and 
  frequently 
  

   occurs 
  at 
  electric 
  lights. 
  These 
  

   insects 
  have 
  been 
  accused 
  of 
  

   manifold 
  injury 
  to 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  

   fruits 
  and 
  plants, 
  but 
  notwith- 
  

   standing 
  their 
  abundance 
  in 
  beet 
  

   fields 
  no 
  well-marked 
  injury 
  to 
  

   beets 
  has 
  been 
  traced 
  to 
  their 
  

   presence. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  impossible, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  mere 
  drain 
  of 
  

   their 
  appropriation 
  of 
  the 
  sap 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  plant 
  may 
  be 
  burdensome 
  to 
  it 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  laying 
  up 
  its 
  enormous 
  

  

  store 
  of 
  nutrition 
  in 
  the 
  root. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  sheltered 
  situations, 
  under 
  

  

  boards, 
  beneath 
  the 
  basal 
  leaf 
  tuft 
  of 
  the 
  mullein, 
  dead 
  grass, 
  beds 
  of 
  

  

  leaves, 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  At 
  

  

  this 
  season 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  

  

  leaf-bugs 
  are 
  adult, 
  but 
  a 
  

  

  few 
  young 
  may 
  sometimes 
  

  

  be 
  found 
  among 
  them. 
  

  

  They 
  emerge 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  

  

  warm 
  days 
  of 
  spring 
  and 
  

  

  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  about 
  the 
  

  

  plants 
  on 
  whose 
  sap 
  they 
  

  

  are 
  feeding. 
  The 
  young 
  of 
  

  

  theyear 
  appear 
  late 
  in 
  April 
  

  

  or 
  early 
  in 
  May, 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  earliest 
  mature 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  

  

  month, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  all 
  

  

  ages 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  to- 
  

   gether. 
  The 
  successive 
  

  

  broods 
  have 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  

  

  been 
  distinguished. 
  They 
  continue 
  active 
  and 
  abundant 
  until 
  the 
  

  

  approach 
  of 
  frost, 
  when 
  their 
  breeding 
  ceases 
  and 
  the 
  remaining 
  young 
  

  

  mature 
  for 
  hibernation. 
  

  

  The 
  burning 
  of 
  vegetable 
  trash, 
  especially 
  in 
  cold 
  weather, 
  when 
  

  

  insects 
  are 
  sluggish, 
  will 
  destroy 
  many 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  and 
  a 
  spray 
  of 
  

  

  Fig. 
  19. 
  The 
  Tarnished 
  Plant-bug, 
  Lygus 
  pratensis, 
  nymph. 
  

  

  