144 



FKSTS OF GARDEN AND FIELD CROPS 



Blister-beetles (Meloidce) 



Swarms of rather large, long-legged beetles, black, gray, or striped 

 black and yellow, with distinct heads and " necks " and elongated, 

 straight-cut bodies, sometimes descend on field or garden crops and 



Fig. 139. — The Striped Blister- 

 beetle. Original. 



Fig. 140. — The Ash-gray Blis- 

 ter-beetle. Original. 



quickly destroy the foliage. They often do great damage to sugar 

 beets, potatoes, and beans, or other legumes. There are several species, 

 as noted below. 



The younger stages are spent in the soil, the larvae feeding in the 



Fig. 141. — Nuttall's Blister- 

 beetle. Original. 



Fig. 142. — The Black Blis- 

 ter-beetle. Original. 



egg clusters of grasshoppers. Emergence of the adult beetle takes 

 place in the spring. 



The Striped Blister-beetle (Epicauta vittata Fab.) is black, marked 

 with three distinct, longitudinal yellow stripes. It is common on 

 potatoes and sugar beets, but often attacks other crops. 



The Ash-gray Blister-beetle {Macrobasis unicolor Kby.) is a smooth 



