396 



Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



elsewhere or disappear, and may be seen no more until the following year. 

 However, after the departure of one species, a second and even a third 

 may come during the season. 



The life history of the blister-beetles is not only peculiar but also com- 

 plicated. The adult female beetle lays a large number of eggs in a small 

 cavity in the ground, and in about ten days there hatches from the eggs 

 small, long-legged larvae, which run about searching for the pods of grass- 

 hopper eggs, upon which they feed. During the summer the larvae pass 

 through several rather distinct forms, hibernate in the ground during 

 the winter, appear again as larvae the next spring, pupate later, and 

 transform to adult beetles in the summer. 



Methods of Control. 



There is no question but that the larvae of the blister-beetle destroy 

 large numbers of grasshopper eggs and thus aid in keeping these insects 

 under control. However, in many cases the alfalfa grower finds that the 

 benefits derived are more than counterbalanced by the losses caused by the 

 beetles, and thus measures must be used to destroy them. 



Inasmuch as blister-beetles usually make their attack on alfalfa during 

 the latter part of July and through August, and since they usually move 

 in from some adjoining field or appear in some local place in the field, a 

 close watch should be kept, and just as soon as they appear methods of 

 control should be put into operation. Spraying with Paris green is one 

 of the best remedies. The infested portion of the alfalfa should be 

 thoroughly sprayed, using from one to two pounds of Paris green to 

 fifty gallons of water. In using Paris green two pounds of stone lime 

 should be used to every pound of Paris green. Alfalfa sprayed with Paris 

 green should not be used for hay. However, it is better to sacrifice a 

 portion of the crop by spraying with Paris green than to leave the beetles 

 to continue their ravages and thus destroy a much larger part of the crop. 

 Since the poisoned beetles are sometimes replaced by others, it is neces- 

 sary on such occasions to repeat the applications of spray. Inasmuch as 

 the beetles are wild, and when disturbed will drop from the plants to the 

 ground and run rapidly, seeking some sheltered place under which they 



FIG. 345. Clover leaf-hopper (Agallia sanquinolenta) . a, adult; &, nymph, 

 side view ; c, nymph, dorsal view ; d, face ; e, front wing. All much enlarged. 

 (After Osborn and Ball.) 



