POTATO INSECTS 91 



winter in rubbish appearing early in May in N. J. ; 

 lay their eggs at the bases of bindweed and the 

 larvae live upon the roots of these plants; adult 

 beetles injure potato vines by eating the leaves. 



Control — Dip leaves and stems of plants before 

 setting in solution of arsenate of lead, i pound in 

 10 gallons of water; delay setting of plants as long 

 as possible. 



The striped sweet potato beetle^ (Cassida 



hivittata) 



Order — Coleoptera 



]\Iost abundant and injurious of all the ''Gold- 

 bugs" ; less than J4 ii'ich in length and of a dull 

 brownish-yellow color with a faint golden lustre; 

 there are two black stripes on wing-covers; the 

 eggs laid singly on under sides of leaves and each 

 covered with a little black excrement; larva is dirty 

 white and bears spines along sides of body; there 

 are two long spines, the anal fork, at end of abdo- 

 men ; these carry the cast skins over the back ; pupa 

 brown and retains the larval skins. 



Control — Dip plants as for flea-beetle and, in 

 addition, spray in the field. 



The sweet potato weevil^ (Cylas fonnicarius) 

 Order — Coleoptera 



This weevil is an imported species found in this 

 country in eastern Texas, southern Louisiana, Mis- 

 sissippi, Alabama, Florida, and in part of Georgia ; 

 it passes winter as egg, larva, pupa, and adult; the 

 weevils which are ant-like in appearance and about 

 J4 of an inch long are blue-black with a red thorax 

 and long proboscis ; they lay their eggs in cavities 

 in the stems or tubers of sweet potato plants where 



6 Smith— N. J. Expt. Stat., Bull. 229. 



" Chittenden— U. S. Dept. Agr., Ear's' Bull. 1020. 



