THE ASPARAGUS BEETLE 245 



pour the liquid upon it, and keep the receptacle closed for one or 

 two days. No flame should be brought into the vicinity of bisul- 

 fid of carbon. A tablespoonful of the liquid used in a two-quart 

 jar full of seed is effective if the jar is closed tightly. 



Figure 252 illustrates both the bean weevil and the pea weevil. 



The Pea Weevil (Bruchus pisorwn L.). This beetle is similar 

 in general appearance and habits to the bean weevil. In color it 

 is blackish, covered with soft brown hairs, and its back is marked 

 with black and white. The adults appear in the field at blossom- 

 ing time. The yellow eggs are laid on the pea pods, and the grub 

 bores through info the seed. If undisturbed, the adult may re- 

 main in the seed until spring. The same remedies as given for the 

 bean weevil are applicable to this insect (Fig. 252). 



The Pea Aphis. This is a large green louse (Macrosiphum 

 pisi Kalt.) attacking peas. It has many natural enemies in the 

 shape of parasites and predaceous insects. Since it passes the 

 whiter on clover, it is suggested that peas, if possible, be not 

 planted near clover. Otherwise control measures are practically 

 the same as for the bean aphis. 



The blister beetles (page 198), so-called "old-fashioned potato 

 bug," occasionally attack beans and may cause serious injury 

 locally. 



INSECTS AFFECTING RADISHES 



Flea beetles of various species may justly be regarded as 

 enemies of radishes. Their attacks may be controlled to some 

 extent in the garden by the use of air-slaked lime or ashes. 



Cabbage Maggot. The chief pest of the radish is the cabbage 

 maggot, which tunnels in the roots. This insect has been de- 

 scribed under Cabbage. The writer has secured immunity for 

 his radishes by using a decoction of tobacco stems, and more 

 recently by using nicotine sulfate solution, at the rate of two 

 tablespoonfuls to a gallon of water. This solution is poured along 

 the rows of plants when they are about an inch or two high, and 

 is repeated once hi every five or six days until the radishes are 

 nearly fit for table use. Early-sown radishes are not so liable to 

 attack as later crops. Radishes, when young, may also be treated 

 with the poisonous spray recommended for the cabbage maggot. 



The Asparagus Beetle. This destructive insect (Crioceris 

 asparagi Linn.) is one-fourth of an inch long. It is of a general 

 bluish-black color, with yellowish wing-covers, marked on the 



