416 



The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



INSECTS WHICH ATTACK CERTAIN PLANTS. 



ASPARAGUS BEETLE (Crioceris asparagi).The asparagus beetle 

 is a well-known pest on asparagus plantations in the southern parts of 

 England, but is practically unknown north of the midland counties. It is 



slender and graceful in 

 form, from one-fifth to 

 one-quarter of an inch in 

 length. Its body is shiny 

 black, with a blue tinge ; 

 its head is black. It has 

 red and yellowish mark- 

 ings, with a black cross 

 on its back. It deposits 

 eggs from June onwards, 

 first on the asparagus 

 shoots and later on the 

 feathery foliage after it 

 has developed. The, eggs 

 arc spindle-shaped and 

 oval, greenish brown in 

 colour, and arc fixed by 

 their ends to the plants, 

 occasionally placed singly 

 but usually occuring in 

 rows of from three to five, 

 and occasionally up to 

 eight in number. The 

 eggs hatch in from five 

 to seven days. The larva 

 Spray of Asparagus attacked by the Beetle, or grub j s nearly half an 



showing Beetle and Larvae (in two stages) much jnch , and ig variablc 



enlarged, with Eggs attached to foliage, . . . 



in colour, being gener- 

 ally greyish or slate-coloured but sometimes almost yellow. Both beetle 

 and grub feed on the asparagus plant, at first disfiguring the shoots as they 

 are formed and later attacking the stems. In a bad attack the shoots 

 become defiled and useless from masses of sticky eggs and from a dark- 

 coloured sticky fluid emitted by the larvae. 



Treatment : As soon as infestation is observed a few shoots should be 

 left uncut at intervals along the bed ; these will serve as traps for the 

 beetles, which will ascend them to pair and deposit their eggs. Once a 

 week these should be cut down and burnt, others being left to fill their 

 place. In this way the infestation may be kept in check until cutting is 

 finished. In the meantime eggs and larvae may be cleared from young 

 shoots by running them through the hand. 



After cutting is finished for the season the plants should be thoroughly 

 sprayed with arsenate of lead. 



