INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE MELON. 



ATTACKING THE EOOTS, 



No. 221. The Squash-vine Borer. 



^Egeria cucurbitce Harris. 



This borer is the larva of a moth belonging to the group 

 known as Egerians, or Clear-wings, which have the greater 

 portion of their wings transparent, and hence closely re- 

 semble wasps. They are active in the daytime, and enjoy 

 the warmth of the summer's sun. 



The moth, which is represented in Fig. FlG - 3 ?0. 



370, is a very pretty object. Its body is 

 about half an inch long, orange-colored or 

 tawny, with four or five black spots down 

 the back ; the fore wings are olive-brown 

 and opaque, the hind wings transparent, 

 except the margins and veins ; the hind 

 legs are densely fringed with long reddish and black hairs, 

 and the wings, when expanded, measure an inch or more across. 



This active enemy deposits her eggs on the stems of the 

 young vines near the roots about the time they begin to run, 

 or soon after, where the young larva, when hatched, bores 

 into the stem and devours the interior. The full-grown larva 

 (Fig. 371) is about an inch long, tapering 

 towards each extremity, soft, of a whitish FIG. 371. 

 color, and semi-transparent, with a dark 

 line down the back, caused by the internal 

 organs showing through the transparent 

 skin; there are a few short hairs on each segment, arising 

 singly from small, hard, warty points. The head is small, 

 of a brown color, and there is a patch of a similar shade 

 on the next segment. 



361 



