64 INSECT PESTS 



in June, and the larvae eat into the succulent parts at 

 the crown of the root. No better plan exists than egg 

 search, at any rate for small-holders, as although it needs 

 sharp eyes (a chance for the children) the destruction of a 

 batch of fifty to seventy-five eggs at a time is more than 

 worth the trouble of finding them, and of course practice 

 makes perfect. The ova need simply be crushed between 

 the finger and thumb. These larvae feed at night and 

 must be sought with a lantern, so that there is all the 

 more reason for emphasizing egg search. Pupse remain 

 in the soil during the cold season, and if poultry are run 

 on to the ground when freshly turned up they will perform 

 the double service of feeding themselves and ridding the 

 soil of the Silver Y. (See Plate 13.) 



The Beet Fly {P. hetm) lays its eggs on the stalks of 

 leaves, the maggots forming burrows in the tissues, thus 

 weakening and exhausting the plant. It is dark grey in 

 colour with black hairs, the wings being transparent. 

 Two broods occur each year, pupae remaining in the soil 

 until the spring. DandeHon, docks, thistles and such 

 weeds harbour these files and enable them to exist till 

 the crop comes along, wherefore they should be kept out of 

 the immediate neighbourhood. In a badly affected field 

 the plants must be pulled up and destroyed, to prevent 

 the occurrence of a second brood. (See Plate 13.) 



Beans and Peas. Here we have first of all the small 

 beetles and weevils which find a happy home amongst 

 all leguminous crops. They are blackish brown in colour, 

 and after pairing in June lay their eggs on the young 

 pods, even making their way into the blossom itself for 

 this purpose. Out of each egg comes a white maggot 

 which feeds within the bean or pea and emerges the follow- 

 ing season as a beetle. The affected seeds can be dis- 

 covered by the water test, as they will float, the sound 

 ones sinking to the bottom. Buoyant seeds should not 

 be sown. (See Plate 15.) 



Another bean pest is Theips [F. robuaia), sometimes 



