90 N. S. ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



LYGUS PRATENSIS VAR. RUBIOUS KNIGHT 



"Structurally not differing from pratensis, but bright ruby red in color. 



Length 5.5 mm., width 2.5 mm.; bright ruby red; pronotum with a small black spot 

 behind each callus; antennal segments red, with apex of segment II and all of segments 

 III and IV blackish; scutellum pale, marked with red at middle of base; cuneus mar- 

 gined with red, but pale reddish, spines black; sternum beneath, and tips of tarsi, black- 

 ish." 



FOOD PLANTS OF FIRST BROOD ADULTS AND SECOND BROOD 



NYMPHS. 



As previously stated after the insects have reached maturity, upon the sorrel, 

 there is an exodus to other food plants. A careful search revealed the fact that adults 

 were present on peonies, dahlias, sunflowers, daisies, marigolds, roses, etc., but these did 

 not represent the bulk of the first brood and very little breeding was done on any of the 

 plants mentioned. Further search disclosed adults in large numbers in neighboring 

 fields of beets and mangolds, the leaves of which were seriously injured by adult feed- 

 ing punctures, the large outer leaves being wilted and curled and those at the centre 

 grown up very thick and tightly curled. On August 6th newly hatched nymphs were 

 found and in a short time the plants were swarming with them. During August and 

 September, nymphs could be found on pigweed, daisies, sunflowers, dahlias, potatoes, 

 turnips and many other plants, but the majority were upon the beets and mangolds. A 

 few scattering adults were found in apple and pear orchards, but their number was ne- 

 gligible compared with those found elsewhere. 



NYMPHAL PERIODS OF SECOND BROOD. 



Nymphs of the second brood were reared through on small individual beet and 

 mangold plants in the insectary. The duration of the nymphal stages as determined in 

 this manner is as follows: — First instar 5-6 days; second instar 5-6 days; 

 third instar 6-7 days; fourth instar 9-11 days; fifth instar 9-11 days; total length of 

 nymphal life 36-39 days. This agrees fairly well with the results of Haseman (6) who 

 finds that the fall brood in Missouri required from thirty to thirty-five days to reach 

 maturity. There are, of course, five nymphal stages and not four as stated by some 

 earlier workers. 



Adults of the second brood were first taken on August 28th and from then until 

 freezing weather, nymphs continued to reach maturity, when numbers of them were 

 caught by the frost and perished. 



INJURIES. 



The injuries of this insect to beets and mangolds has already been described, but 

 the principal damage done in this province is in flower gardens, where the young flower 

 buds and blossoms of dahlias, peonies, asters and other plants frequently are dwarfed 

 and make a bushy growth, entirely spoiling their appearance, as a result of the continued 

 stings of the insect. The blossoms are distorted and usually grow one-sided or do not 

 develop at all. When numerous they will often feed on rose buds causing distortion and 

 incomplete development. 



The injury of the buds of apple and pear we have already discussed but this is not 

 usually serious in Nova Scotia. Many writers have described damage to blossoms and 

 fruit of these plants, but these are too numerous to mention and their discussion here 

 would be unprofitable as many of the earlier workers confused the injuries of this inse 

 with those of the apple red bugs that have been well described by Crosby (4) or wi 

 the false tarnished plant bug or green apple bug described by Parrot and Hodgkiss (7) 

 and by the writer (9). 



