314 INSECT PESTS OF FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD 



Life History. The adult beetles hibernate in or near the bean- 

 fields and emerge from April to June according to the latitude. 

 Minute orange-colored eggs are laid near the stem of the plant, 

 just below the surface of the soil, in clusters of six to ten or more, 

 and hatch in from five to eight days. The young larvae feed upon 

 the stem and roots, becoming full grown in six or seven weeks. 

 When grown the larva is about three-tenths an inch long, 

 about one-eighth as wide, cylindrical, milk-white in color, with 

 dark head and anal segment, as shown enlarged six times in Fig. 



FIG. 228. The bean leaf-beetle (Ceraloma Irifurcata Forst.): a, adult 

 beetle; 6, pupa; c, larva; d, side view anal segment of larva; e, leg of 

 same; /, egg a, 6, c, enlarged about six times; d, e, f, more enlarged. 

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



228. The pupa (Fig. 228, b) is pure white, and from it the beetle 

 emerges in five to eight days. Thus, in the District of Columbia, the 

 whole life cycle requires six to nine weeks, depending upon heat 

 and moisture. In the North there is probably but one generation 

 a year; in Maryland and Virginia one generation develops in 

 July and another in September; while in the Gulf States there 

 are probably three generations, as beetles are numerous in October. 

 Remedies. Spraying with arsenical poisons as for the bean 

 ladybird (page 316) is the most effectual means of controlling 

 the pest when abundant, but they should be applied early to avoid 



