TBTU 



VOLlir-sll^iIs.VOLl 



NEW YORK, AUGUST, 1880, 



No, 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 



THE HUB PUBLISHING CO. of n. y. 



828 Pearl St., Ne^v York. 



TERMS Two dollars per annum, in advance. 



EDITORS : 



CHAS. V. RILEY, Editor Washington, D. C. 



A. S. FULLER, Assistant Editor, Ridgewood, N. J. 



THE aRAPEVINE FLEA-BEETLE (Graptodera 

 chalybea lUig.). 



Of the numerous insect enemies with 

 which our grape-growers have to deal, the 

 object of this sketch occupies an important 

 place. The numerous complaints we have 



[Fig! m: 



Grapevine Flea-Beetle -.—a, le.if, with larvae natural size; 

 ^, larva, enlarged ; c, cocoon ; </, beetle, the swollen hind thighs 

 not shown (after Riley). 



received this year of its ravages show that 

 it has been more than usually abundant. 



The beetles which have hibernated begin 

 their destructive work in the spring as soon 

 as the buds commence to swell, and it is at 

 this early period that the greatest damage 

 is done by the beetles boring into and 



feeding on said buds. Later in the season 

 the beetles feed upon the leaves, and upon 

 these, in the month of May, the female lays 

 her small orange-colored eggs in clusters. 

 These soon hatch, and the young dark- 

 colored larvae soon riddle the leaf, as 

 shown in our figure (86), or when very 

 numerous completely devour it, leaving 

 only the largest ribs. In about a month the 

 full-grown larvae (Fig. 86, d) descend into 

 the ground, where each forms a small 

 earthen cell, and changes to a dull 

 yellowish pupa of the shape normally 

 assumed in this family. The perfect beetle 

 issues about three weeks later, from the 

 middle of June to the middle of July, and 

 again begins to eat the leaves, but the 

 damage done to them is trifling compared 

 with that done in early spring. So far as 

 we have observed there is but one annual 

 eneration, but it is probable that in the 

 more Southern States there will be two. 

 As soon as cold weather approaches the 

 ! beetles retire under fallen leaves in the 

 i ground, at the base of trees, under loose 

 bark, in houses, in short, in any place 

 which offers shelter from the cold. 



In considering the best means of prevent- 

 ing the injuries of this insect, it must be 

 borne in mind, that, according to our obser- 

 vations, the female beetle deposits her eggs 

 by preference on the leaves of the wild 

 grape vines, as the larvae are rarely met 

 with in cultivated vineyards. It is against 

 the perfect beetle, therefore, that we must 

 direct our efforts at destruction, and while 

 it is undoubtedly desirable to keep the 

 vineyard clear of rubbish in winter time, by 

 burning wherever fire can be used safely, 

 this means of destruction loses much of 

 its importance by the fact that the beetles 



