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  Fig. 
  65. 
  The 
  JNIargined 
  Blister-beetle, 
  Epicanta 
  

   tnarginata, 
  adult. 
  

  

  The 
  Margined 
  Blister-beetle. 
  

  

  Epicaiita 
  inarginaia 
  Fabr. 
  i^E. 
  cinerea 
  marginata 
  Horn). 
  

  

  This 
  blister-beetle, 
  very 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  in 
  Illinois, 
  is 
  easily 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  by 
  its 
  general 
  black 
  color, 
  

   except 
  that 
  the 
  wing-covers 
  are 
  

   edged 
  with 
  gray. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  in- 
  

   jurious 
  to 
  beets 
  in 
  Illinois 
  and 
  In- 
  

   diana, 
  but 
  not 
  especially 
  so 
  in 
  Ne- 
  

   braska. 
  It 
  has 
  done 
  serious 
  injury 
  

   to 
  beans, 
  tomatoes, 
  potatoes 
  and 
  

   other 
  vegetables, 
  and 
  to 
  asters 
  and 
  

   other 
  flowers. 
  Among 
  wild 
  plants 
  

   it 
  feeds 
  upon 
  pigweed, 
  ground- 
  

   cherry 
  (/'//j.ya/w) 
  and 
  wild 
  sunflower 
  

   {Helianthus). 
  We 
  have 
  taken 
  the 
  

   beetles 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  

   till 
  October, 
  most 
  abundantly 
  from 
  

   about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July 
  until 
  after 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  August. 
  Two 
  broods 
  

   of 
  the 
  beetles 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  Indiana. 
  

  

  The 
  Black 
  Blister-beetle. 
  

  

  Epicaiita 
  petinsyivanica 
  DeG. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  probably 
  our 
  most 
  destructive 
  blister-beetle 
  both 
  to 
  beets 
  

   and 
  to 
  other 
  crops, 
  owing 
  especially 
  to 
  its 
  great 
  numbers 
  and 
  its 
  gre- 
  

   garious 
  feeding 
  habits. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  throughout 
  the 
  country 
  from 
  Massachusetts 
  I 
  J 
  

  

  to 
  Utah. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Texas, 
  and 
  in 
  Kentucky 
  /^f^^^^X' 
  

   is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  destroyed 
  an 
  acre 
  of 
  beets 
  in 
  two 
  

   days. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  of 
  beet 
  

   insects 
  in 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  to 
  

   us 
  from 
  Minnesota 
  beet 
  fields, 
  and 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  

   have 
  destroyed 
  a 
  beet 
  crop 
  in 
  some 
  part 
  of 
  New 
  

   York. 
  It 
  feeds 
  upon 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  plants 
  including 
  

   potatoes, 
  beans, 
  carrots, 
  cabbages, 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  

   silks 
  of 
  corn, 
  honey-locust, 
  passion-flowers, 
  garden 
  

   pinks, 
  and 
  pigweed, 
  and, 
  especially 
  in 
  fall, 
  upon 
  „ 
  ^^ 
  „. 
  „, 
  , 
  „,. 
  

  

  ^ 
  ' 
  r 
  o 
  7 
  J 
  r- 
  J 
  'I 
  Pig 
  gg 
  The 
  Black 
  Blister- 
  

  

  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  goldenrod, 
  rosin-weed 
  {Silphiiim), 
  he.f.x.\c, 
  Ej>icautci 
  pennsykum- 
  

   mustard, 
  etc. 
  The 
  adults 
  appear 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  '"^- 
  l^"'""*'') 
  

   October. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  its 
  greatest 
  abundance 
  is 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  

  

  