156 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETABLES 



they are still liable to injury from others and more especially 

 from the pickle worm and melon caterpillar which bore into the 

 fruit and render it unfit for market. 



Cucurbits grown under glass are subject to injury by four 

 important pests : the striped cucumber beetle, melon aphis, 

 greenhouse white fly and onion thrips. 



The Striped Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica vittata Fab.). — 

 With the first appearance of cucumber, squash and melon plants 



Fig. 



104.— Striped cucumber beetle, a, Beetle; b, larva; c, pupa; d, egg; e, sculp- 

 ture of egg. (Author's Illustration, U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



early in the season, often before they are above ground, they 

 are attacked by the striped cucumber beetle, often called the 

 "striped bug" and "melon bug." 



The beetle measures about two-fifths of an inch in length. 

 Its color is yellow above, with black head and elytra longi- 

 tudinally striped, as figured (fig. 104). The egg is lemon yel- 

 low and of the appearance shown, where the sculpture is also 

 illustrated. The larva is a slender, white, worm-like creature, 

 with brown head, anal and thoracic plate. When mature 

 it measures about three-tenths of an inch, this being about 

 ten times its width. The species is indigenous and inhabits the 

 entire eastern United States. 



