354 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO MELONS, CUCUMBERS, ETC. 



The adult is one of the clear-winged moths with a wing expanse 

 of about 1J inches, the fore- wings being opaque, dark olive 

 green in color, with a metallic lustre and a fringe of brownish 

 black. The hind- wings are transparent, with a bluish reflection, 

 and the veins and marginal fringe black. The abdomen is marked 

 with orange, or red, black and bronze, and the legs are bright 

 orange, with tarsi black with white bands. The species occurs 

 throughout the states east of the Rockies and southward into 

 Central and South America. 





FIG. 299. A squash stem cut open showing borers within. (Photo 

 by Quaintance.) 



Life History. The moths appear soon after their food-plants 

 start growth, from mid- April along the Gulf Coast to June 1st, 

 in New Jersey, and late June or early July in Connecticut. They 

 fly only in the daytime, and their clear wings and brightly marked 

 bodies give them a close resemblance to large wasps. The eggs 

 are laid on all parts of the plant, but chiefly on the stems, par- 

 ticularly near the base. The oval egg is of a dull red color and 

 about one-twenty-fifth inch long. The moth deposits her eggs 

 singly, and one individual has been observed to lay as many as 

 212. They hatch in one or two weeks. The young larva enters 

 the main stem and tunnels through it, and often enters the leaf- 



