13 



accused of beino- carriers of various plant diseases, and probably with 

 justice, since they have a habit of tiying frequently from one plant to 

 another, feeding on each in turn. In the leaves of beets and other 

 vegetables they make many small, irregular holes, and are capable of 

 doing considerable damage when occurring abundantly on young plants. 

 It is not known how many generations are produced during the year, 

 but as the beetle is one of our earliest as well as latest species, it seems 

 probable that two or perhaps three generations may be produced 

 annually, at least in the more southern States. 



Remedies. — Ordinary leaf -beetle remedies are applicable to this spe- 

 cies in its occurrence on beets. On cucumber and other cucurbits, how- 

 ever, it is more troublesome, and must be treated in about the same 

 manner as the striped cucumber beetle (see Circular No. 31, Div. Ent.). 

 On corn it is still more difficult to control the root- worms, and this sub- 

 ject will be reserved for discus- 

 sion elsewhere. The results of 

 experiments with remedies are 

 given in an article on this species 

 by A. L. Quaintance (Bui. 26, 

 n. s., Div. Ent., pp. 39-40). 



THE COLASPIS ROOT-WORM. 



{Colaspis brurmeoF^h.) 



This species is best known as 

 a depredator upon grape and 

 strawberry, on which the larvae 

 also subsist, whence two of its 

 vernacular names of grapevine 

 colaspis and strawberry root- 

 worm, but it has frequently been noticed on sugar beet in Nebraska 

 and Illinois. It is also often found attacking the foliage of beans. 



The beetle is common and weil known. It is exceedingly variable, 

 but typical specimens are vellowish or pale brown, dull or moderately 

 shining, the elytra and legs are a little paler than the other portions. 

 The form is oval, slightly oblong, and moderately convex, the general 

 appearance l^eing about as represented at figure 5, c. The larva" is 

 a white cylindrical grub, about an eighth of an inch long, with a 

 yellowish-brown head. The pupa is also white and has simple, 

 incurved anal hooks. 



This beetle has been recorded as doing more or less injury to 

 several plants other than those mentioned, including potato, buck- 

 wheat, corn, clover, beans, cowpea, muskmelon, cotton, and some wild 

 plants, including tick trefoil and New Jersey tea, and the leaves or 

 • bloi;::oms of apple, pear, and willow. The larva has also been observed 



«For particulars the reader is referred to 22d Kept. State Ent. 111., 1903, pp. 

 145-149; also Bui. 9, n. s., Div. Ent., p. 21. 



o * 



Fig. 5. — Culaxjjis briiiinca: a, larva or root-worm; 

 h, anal segment of larva from above; c, beetle — 

 all enlarged («, h, after Riley; c, original, Division 

 of Entomology). 



