INSECTS AND OTHER SMALL ANIMALS 299 



The cheapest and safest poison to use is arsenate 

 of lead. This is applied the same as Paris green, but 

 it will not burn the leaves as Paris green does if used 

 too strong. The arsenical poison may be mixed with 

 Bordeaux mixture, and the combination used as a 

 spray will prevent wilt and kill the potato beetles. 

 (See page 61 for method of making Bordeaux mixture.) 



The Lady Bug (Ladybird}. This beetle is one of 

 the useful kind. It feeds upon the eggs, larva, and 



FIG. 152. Ladybird Beetles, or Lady Bugs. 



The straight lines represent the average natural length. These beetles are very destructive 



to plant lice. 



imago of other destructive insects. One species de- 

 vours the eggs of the potato beetle. 



The Buffalo Moth (buffalo bug, buffalo beetle}. This 

 destructive insect is not a bug or a moth, but a 

 beetle. It attacks carpets laid on the floor, and im- 

 properly protected garments or furs. It acts very 

 much like the clothes moth. 



To get rid of the buffalo beetle, thoroughly wash the 

 floors with soapsuds, then drench them with benzine or 

 kerosene ; beat the carpets and rugs thoroughly before 

 laying them on the floor. House cleaning of this kind 

 should be repeated twice each year. 



Note- Weevils are beetles that often attack peas, beans, and 

 various other seeds in storage ; if these can be placed in closed vessels 

 with a small quantity of carbon disulphide (see page 58) and allowed 

 to remain for a few hours, the weevils will be destroyed. All flames 

 should be kept away from this substance as it is dangerously explosive. 



