Larger Sugar Beet Leaf-beetle or Alkali-beetle Western Beet Leaf-beetle 



dew is still on the beets. Never attempt to apply the dry poison when 

 the wind is blowing. Always spray or dust the beets some distance be- 

 yond where the insects are feeding. 



DESCRIPTION 

 The Egg 



The brownish gray eggs (Fig. 3 enlarged and Fig. 4 about natural 

 size, Plate VII, Page 23) are usually placed in clusters on the under side 

 of the leaves of the food plants. Russian thistle and saltbush, both of 

 which abound on alkali ground, are favorite plants on which to deposit 

 the eggs. 



The Larva 



The young alkali-bug is sluggish in its movements. In color it is a 

 dirty gray at first, becoming darker with age. When fully grown it ap- 

 pears as in Figure 1, Plate VII, Page 23. At this time the ground color 

 is an olive brown. The entire body is covered with blunt tubercles 

 each bearing several short, stiff hairs. These tubercles are yellowish in 

 color, giving the larva a spotted appearance. 



The Pupa 



The pupa (Fig. 2, Plate VII, Page 23) is what is known as a "free 

 pupa" because the legs and other parts of the insect are encased separ- 

 ately, in contrast with the pupae of the cutworms and other related insects. 

 The pupal stage is passed in a small oval cell in the soil. At first the pupa 

 is a uniform yellowish brown as shown in the figure, but just before the 

 adult emerges the color becomes darker. 



The Beetle 



The adult alkali-beetle (Fig. 5, Plate VII, Page 23) often occurs in 

 swarms. In color it varies from a light brownish yellow to almost black. 

 Sometimes the wing covers are quite distinctly striped, the dark color 

 being concentrated near the center of each. The figure represents an 

 intermediate color type. 



(b) WESTERN BEET LEAF-BEETLE 



(Fig. 6, Plate VII, Page 23) 



As the name indicates, this beetle is a Western insect. It is more 

 common on the Pacific coast than in the Rocky Mountain regions. It 

 first attracted attention in the years 1900 and 1901 in Oregon.* 



This beetle (Fig. 6, Plate VI I, Page 23) is very similar to the "larger 

 sugar beet leaf -beetle" in coloring but is only slightly more than one-half 

 as large. Its habits appear to be similar to those of the preceding species. 



NATURE OF INJURY 



The only cases known to the writer where this beetle has injured 

 sugar beets have been near low, damp ground, the beetles alone damaging 

 the crop. The early stages have not been observed by the writer. 



*Dr. F. H. Chittenden, "A Brief Account of the Principal Insect Enemies of the Sugar Beet." Bulle- 

 tin No. 43. Division of Entomology. U. S. Department of Agriculture (1903). 



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