ASPARAGUS BEETLES. 



MONG the recent arrivals ot new 

 insect pests in Ontario are two 

 small beetles which have done 

 ^ harm both in Europe and the 

 eastern United States. That these beetles 

 are capable of doing much damage to beds 

 of asparagus may be seen from a study of 

 the records of their depredations in the 

 United States. Six years after the arrival 

 of the first beetle — the common asparagus 

 beetle — the loss in Queen's Co., N. Y., alone 

 in one year amounted to 850,000, and fre- 

 quently since asparagus crops have suffered 

 severely in many of the infested sections of 

 New England and the northern central 

 states. Not only were the marketable beds 

 badly injured, but the new beds also were 

 seriously attacked, and in many cases de- 

 stroyed. Illustrations of these two beetles 

 are to be found on page 35 of the Agricul- 

 tural College Report just issued. 



In 1898 the asparagus beetles reached the 

 American side of the Niagara River, and it 

 was then predicted that the Niagara region 

 of Ontario would soon feel the effects of the 

 invasion. Sure enough, the beetles ap- 

 peared in several localities as far west as 

 St. Catharines in the spring of 1899, and 

 their presence may be confidently expected 

 in asparagus gardens over a still wider area 

 in the spring of 1900. 



The two beetles which feed on asparagus 

 shoots are quite unlike in color : the com- 

 mon asparagus beetle {Crioceris asparagi) 

 has steel-blue wing-covers, marked with 

 lemon-colored splashes, and bordered with 

 the same color, while the 1 2-spotted aspara- 

 gus beetle (C. 12-pu tic tufa) has orange-red 

 wing-covers, each marked with six black 

 spots. The grubs of the two species are 

 even more unlike than the adults are. The 

 grub of the former is dark grey in color, 

 while that of the latter is orange, and on ac- 



count of its color resembles the grub of the 

 Colorado beetle. 



The habits and life histor}' of the common 

 asparagus beetle are much better known 

 than those of the 1 2-spotted species. The 

 eggs are laid soon after the appearance of 

 the beetle in the early spring, usually on the 

 stalks of the new shoots. They stand out 

 at right angles to the stalk, are about one- 

 twelfth of an inch long, and of a dark brown 

 color. The grubs, which hatch from the 

 eggs in about a week, feed upon the young 

 succulent shoots for about two weeks, when 

 they descend into the ground, and change 

 into pupae within dirty cocoons. In another 

 week or ten days the full fledged beetle 

 emerges to lay eggs for another brood. 

 Thus it will be seen that the common aspar- 

 agus beetle completes its life history (from 

 the deposition of the eggs on the stalks to 

 the time the adult beetle appears) in about 

 four weeks or one month. 



In the case of the 1 2-spotted asparagus 

 beetle, the eggs have been seldom seen, and 

 the habits of the young grubs are not there- 

 fore understood. It is supposed, however, 

 that the grub feeds during a part of its ex- 

 istence in the berrj', and descends to the 

 ground to pupate. In Europe it is said to 

 pass the winter in the pupal condition. 



Remedial Treatments. — A ver>- import- 

 ant point to remember in the fight against 

 the asparagus beetles is the destruction of 

 all stray and volunteer asparagus plants in 

 the neighborhood of the beds. If this is 

 done the beetles cannot deposit eggs on 

 plants outside of the beds, and no infesta- 

 tion of the beds can take place from this 

 source. 



Another important point is the spraying 

 of the beds twice or three times after the cut- 

 ting season with Paris green, for if the late 

 broods are neglected and permitted to in- 



