250 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO STAPLE CROPS. 



e\ei% essentially the same in habits and life-history, and 

 fortunately the same remedies apply to all. Unfortunately, 

 the complete life-cycle of these little insects has never been 

 carefully determined, so that only a general outline can be 

 given. 



During the winter the beetles hibernate under leaves, 

 rubbish, etc., and in the spring come forth and lay their 

 eggs upon the roots of some of our common weeds, such 



as the horse-nettle, Jamestown weed, 

 Desmodium, and various members of 

 the Nightshade family, or Solanacece. 

 Here the larvae feed upon the small 

 roots by mining in them, and trans- 

 form to pupae in small cells among 

 the roots. From the pupae the 

 beetles emerge and, after becoming 



Fig. 143. —The Potato hardened, come forth to attack the 

 or Cucumber Flea- „ ,. i • i xi 4. ^.i, \^ 



beetle {Epitrlx cucum- foliage, which they most thoroughly 



eris). Adult beetle, riddle, a badly eaten leaf appearing 



much enlarged. (After 



Chittenden, U. S. almost as if it had been the target for 



Dept. Agr.) 



a shotgun. 



There are at least two, and possibly three, broods of most 

 of the species, but I can find few accurate records con- 

 cerning them. 



Remedies. — Prof. C. M. Weed, of the New Hampshire 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, has successfully used 

 '^a spray of lime-wash made by adding a pint or more of 

 freshly slaked lime to two gallons of water, and then 

 thoroughly mixing in about half a teaspoonful of Paris 

 green. ^' 



The use of Bordeaux mixture as a repellant for flea- 

 beetles was first tested and demonstrated to be effectual by 



