THE SQUASH BUG 



BY CLARENCE M. WEED AXD ALBERT F. CONRADI 



Perhaps the most notable insect attack of the season 

 of 1 901 was that of the Squash Bug^ — a pest wliich has long 

 been known as one of the most vexatious insects with which 

 the gardener has to contend. As soon as squashes, cucum- 

 bers, and other plants of the vine family were out of the ground 

 in spring the bugs began to destroy them, coming in such 

 extraordinary numbers as to occasion very general comment. 

 And the outbreak seems not only to have been quite generally 

 distributed throughout New Hampshire, but also over a much 

 wider area, complaints having reached us from other states, 

 notably Pennsylvania. 



Ever since the publication of the classic treatise on " Insects 

 Injurious to Vegetation," by Dr. T. W. Harris, in which it 

 was discussed, the squash bug has been frequently mentioned 

 in writings about insects. The most complete article is that 

 of Mr. F. H. Cliittenden published in Bulletin 19 (new series) 

 of the United States Division of Entomology, but others 

 of some length have been published by various experiment 

 stations. VVe desire to express ou)» thanks to the Horticul- 

 tural Department of this Station for cooperation in our 

 experiments with remedial measures. 



LIFE-HISTORY 



The eggs of the squash bug are generally laid in irregularlv 

 shaped clusters, in which the individual eggs are arranged in 

 more or less regular rows. The outlines of these egg masses 

 vary greatly ; some are triangular, others are rectangular, 

 others circular, while many others are so irregular that it is 

 not practicable to define their arrangement. In some clusters 

 the eggs are crowded closely together, while in others they 

 may be scattered over the entire surface of the leaf. In the 



^ An as a tristis De G. 



