15 



Control. — An excellent remedy is to broadcast lightly over 

 the soil, just before dusk, freshly slaked lime. This adheres to 

 their slimy bodies and soon kills them. Three applications on 

 consecutive evenings are advisable. Spraying plants with 

 arsenate of lead is also efficient. 



Special or Selective Feeders. 

 Attacking Asparagus. 



1. Asparagus beetles. 



Two beetles, about one-fourth of an inch in length, are 

 well-known pests of asparagus; viz., the common asparagus 

 beetle, Crioceris asparagi L., and the tw-elve-spotted asparagus 

 beetle, Crioceris 12-punctata L. The former species is steel blue 

 in color, marked with six pale yellow blotches on the wing 

 covers, while the latter is yellowish red with twelve black spots 

 on the wing covers. These beetles cause much damage by 

 feeding on the young, marketable shoots during the spring. 

 Later in the season the beetles and larvae of the twelve-spotted 

 species appear to feed exclusively on the berries. 



Control. — Asparagus beetles should be controlled as far as 

 possible by preventive measures. All old plants and shoots, 

 except a few which may be left as trap plants, should be cut 

 down early in the spring. This will force the beetles to lay 

 their eggs on the young shoots or upon the trap plants. The 

 young asparagus tips should be cut at least every three days, 

 thus preventing the eggs from hatching in the field and the 

 trap plants should be thoroughly sprayed with arsenate of lead 

 (see page 4) to which should be added a resin-soap sticker 

 (see page 4). As soon as the cutting season is over, spray all 

 plants with the above mixture and repeat once or twice at 

 intervals of ten days. 



Fresh air-slaked lime dusted on the plants in the morning 

 while the dew is on will destroy the soft-bodied larvae w^hen it 

 comes in contact with them. Another method of destroying 

 the larvae of the common asparagus beetle in hot weather is to 

 shake them from the plants so that they will drop on the hot 

 soil. As they crawl but slowly many will die before regaining 

 the plants. 



