now TO msTiNdUisii INSISTS 



319 



single year is cst im;itcd ;il one billion dollars. Since we 

 must expect insect pests the best way to prevent damage 

 is to watch for them, and to get rid of them before 

 they become numerous. If we remember that most in- 

 sects lay their eggs on the plants which will later become 

 their food, we can be on the watch for their eggs, and re- 

 move them before harm is done. 

 del the habit, of looking for 

 pests while weeding and culti- 

 vating your garden. The to- 

 mato " worm," for example, 

 usually appears singly, and if 

 picked off early a great deal of 

 damage will be prevented. 



How to tell an insect. We 

 are all familiar with insects, yet 

 how many boys and girls can tell 

 exactly how to distinguish them 

 from other animals ? If we study 

 the diagram of a bee shown 

 here, we find that its body has 

 three parts, the head, the middle 

 pdrtion or the thorax, and the hind portion called the ab- 

 domen. The insect has six jointed legs and may or may 

 not have wings. By the above characteristics you can al- 

 ways distinguish an insect from other animals. 



Experiment. To itudy the life history of a moth and a butterfly. 



a. Eggs 



Method and Observations: In the field look on the under side of leaves 

 for tiny ovoid structural (eggs) of moths and butterflies. The eggs 

 of the cabbage butterfly may be found at almost any time on the under 

 side of cabbage leaves. 

 Conclusion: Why are the eggs laid on the wider aide of certain leaves? 



ab. 



An iniect viewed from the tide. 

 Notice the head, thorax, and ab- 

 domen. What other characters 

 do you find ? 



