INSECTS. 129 



At the end of the season, or when the squash- 

 Lag has finished eating, it hides away in rubbish, 

 among the dead vines, under bark and stones, or 

 under almost anything it can find. It thus passes 

 the winter in hibernation, ready to come out the 

 next summer and lay eggs for new generations. 



No satisfactory chemical preparation for killing 

 the squash-bug has been found. Anything strong 

 enough to kill the insect will also kill the plant. 

 Owing to their habits of concealment, a careful 

 cleaning up of old vines, and burning, will destroy a 

 great many of the bugs. It might also be said 

 here that a careful raking up and burning of all 

 the dead plants in gardens and truck patches 

 would help to keep down the numbers of many 

 injurious insects. Different plants attract different 

 insects, so that a garden soon becomes a pest- 

 house-for many kinds . 



A good plan is to cover the garden a few inches 

 deep with dry straw, spray the whole with a few 

 gallons of kerosene, and burn. The cost of doing 

 this, and the labor, would be recompensed many 

 times. It must be remembered, however, that 

 some forms pass the winter in the ground and 

 would not be affected by such methods. 



Another, and probably the most reliable way to 

 keep down the numbers of this pest, is to watch 

 carefully early in the season for adults, to destroy 

 them by hand, and to cut off leaves, or portions 

 of leaves, to which eggs adhere. 



