382 INSECT PESTS OF FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD 



The Asparagus Miner * 



Occasionally injury by the small white maggots of a fly have 

 been observed in the asparagus beds of Long Island, California, 

 Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and District of Columbia, but the 

 damage seems rarely to be very serious. The adult is a small 

 black fly about one-sixth of an inch long and is usually found 

 on the flowers of the asparagus, and occurs from New England 

 to Tennessee. These flies emerge early in June. The exact manner 

 of egg-laying has not been observed, but the young maggots are 



FIG. 319. The asparagus miner (Agromyza simplex Loew): at left, side view 

 of fly; a, larva; b, thoracic spiracles; c, anal spiracles; d, puparium from 

 side; e, same from above; /, section of asparagus stalk showing injury 

 and location of puparia on detached section a, e, much enlarged; /, 

 slightly reduced. (After Chittenden, U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



found mining just beneath the surface of the stalks, especially 

 young stalks. The maggots are about one-fifth of an inch long, pure 

 white, except the black rasping hooks which project from the 

 head. When full grown the maggots change to puparia beneath 

 the epidermis. The next brood of adult flies emerge early in 

 August. A second brood of maggots seems to occur and the 

 puparia of the second brood pass the winter, and from them 

 come the flies early the next summer. 



Injury from the mining of the maggots has been most serious 

 on seedling and newly set beds, though it may occur on cutting 



* Agromyza simplex Loew. Family Agromyzidce. See Sirrine, Bulletin 

 189, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta.; Chittenden, Bulletin 66, Part I, Bureau of Ento- 

 mology, pp. 1 and 5, Fig. 2, and D. E. Fink, Bulletin 331. Cornell Univ. Agr. 

 Exp. Station. 



