332 



THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



from destroying rubbish, etc., that the imago may have no suita- 

 ble place to hibernate, this is about the only known cure for 

 this terrible pest. 



Squash Vine Root Borer. MeliUia cucurbitce, Harr. 

 Family, jfEgereidce. Order, Lepidoptera. This insect, a near 

 relative of the peach-tree borer and currant borer, is no new 

 nemy, having worked in Massachusetts and other States East 

 for many years. 



NATURAL HISTORY. The moth, which is a beautiful orange, 

 with deep blue wings, in common with all of this family, flies dur- 

 ing the hottest ^ >^ sunshine, and with great 

 swiftness. She / \ lays her eggs during July 

 and August, on I /"\ \ the vine, close to the ground. 

 The larva, which I uj | | would be known as a cater- 



pillar from its possessing sixteen legs, bores the 



base of the stem and roots, and thus entirely 



destroys the vines. They pupate in a rough 



cocoon of earth, about the roots. Dr. Packard has noticed their 

 forming their cocoon in the stem. These are formed in autumn. 

 The imago comes forth the next summer to inaugurate the same 

 round of ruin. 



REMEDIES. To dig out the borers so soon as discovered is a 

 sure but tedious method, and the vines are often ruined before 

 the presence of the larva is discovered. It is asserted that 

 covering the stem and insect with earth prevents further dam- 



