RICE WATER WEEVIL 215 



cannot be obtained, soft soap may be used. Nicotine sulfate, one 

 part to three thousand parts water and four pounds of whale-oil 

 soap in every one hundred gallons of spray, is effective. Fish-oil 

 soap may also be used in place of whale-oil soap, if the latter is not 

 procurable. 



Red Spider (Tetranychus gloveri Bks.). Brownish, shrivelled, 

 and dropping leaves, or spotted, discolored, and imperfect cones, 

 on hops indicate the presence of a small mite called red spider. 

 The loss occasioned by this pest may run as high as fifty dollars 

 per acre. The adult and eggs of this species are found on the under 

 side of the leaves. The winter is passed on vegetation adjoining 

 the fields. Reproduction is rapid and injury to plants severe. 



Control. Fall plowing and doing away with weeds and other 

 vegetation which offers winter food and shelter should be prac- 

 ticed. Particular attention should be given to weeds at the edges 

 of fields. The sprays recommended for the hop aphis are advised 

 for the control of this pest, particularly the use of nicotine sulfate 

 with soap. Several applications should be made. A soap solution 

 alone, consisting of one pound of soap to two gallons of water, is 

 also effective if used at the very first appearance of the insects. 



This is also a cotton insect. (See page 221.) 



RICE INSECTS 



Rice Water Weevil or Rice Root Maggot (Lissorhoptus simplex 

 Say). The adult weevil is gray in color and only about one-eighth 

 of an inch long. It may be seen swimming either on the surface 

 or below. The eggs, barely visible to the naked eye, are deposited 

 upon the roots or in the mud. The larvae or maggots, according 

 to Hood, are found in the rice fields in from one to three weeks 

 after turning on the water. Two broods may appear in one season. 

 The winter is passed in the adult stage (Fig. 230). 



Injury. This is the principal insect enemy of rice plantations ; 

 it also attacks wild rice, feeding as a larva on the roots, at which 

 time the least injury is inflicted on the plant. The adult snout 

 beetles feed on the leaves. The vitality of the plant is thus weak- 

 ened and its bearing qualities impaired. After attack the leaves 

 turn yellow and the plant wilts. In addition to rice, this weevil 

 is known to feed upon water lilies and other aquatic plants, and 

 possibly upon a few grasses. Rice growing in running water does 

 not suffer. 



Control, Draining the rice field completely will kill the larvae. 



