MELON INSECTS 99 



The squash bug ^^ (Anasa tristis) 

 Order — Hemiptera 



This is a large blackish-brown bug- about three- 

 quarters of an inch long that attacks cucurbits of 

 all kinds; when it punctures a leaf to extract the 

 juices it also injects a drop of liquid which has a 

 poisonous effect on the leaf; moreover, it carries 

 bacteria of the wilt disease from one plant to an- 

 other. 



The adult bugs appear in early spring and at- 

 tack the plants; they lay their dark-brown eggs on 

 the undersides of the leaves in great numbers ; these 

 hatch in 8 to 13 days; the nymphs are green and 

 black and abundant ; they molt five times and com- 

 plete their growth in about one month; the adult 

 bugs hibernate under trash, there being but one 

 generation. 



Control — Trap old bugs in spring with chips or 

 leaves placed under plants; hand-pick adults and 

 eggs; kerosene emulsion diluted with 7 to 9 parts 

 water will kill nymphs but not adults. 



SQUASH AND MELON PESTS 



The squash bug — Already discussed under cucum- 

 ber pests 



The squash-vine borer ^^ (Meliffia safyrini- 



formis) 



Order — Lepidoptera 



The parent moth is a beautiful clear-winged 

 moth with a wing expanse of an inch to an inch and 

 a half ; it is distributed all over the eastern United 

 States ; it attacks squash, pumpkin, and occasionally 

 melons, cucumbers, and gourds. 



1*5 Chittenden — U. S. Bu. Ent., Circ. 39. 

 17 Chittenden— U. S. Bu. Ent, Circ. 38. 



