﻿PACKAED.J 
  THE 
  SQUASH-BORER. 
  769 
  

  

  to 
  be 
  gathered 
  for 
  the 
  table, 
  that 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  leads 
  to 
  

   their 
  discovery. 
  A 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  pods 
  will 
  then 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  

   be 
  rough, 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  little 
  dark-colored 
  dots 
  or 
  scars, 
  and 
  many 
  

   of 
  them 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  unusually 
  spongy 
  and 
  not 
  well 
  filled. 
  On 
  opening 
  

   these 
  spongy 
  pods 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  beans 
  have 
  not 
  grown 
  to 
  their 
  proper 
  

   size, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  plant 
  they 
  cease 
  to 
  enlarge. 
  At 
  the 
  

   same 
  time 
  the 
  leaves, 
  pods, 
  and 
  stalks 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  infested 
  with 
  

   little 
  leaf-hoppers, 
  not 
  fully 
  grown, 
  and 
  unprovided 
  with 
  wings. 
  Usually 
  

   between 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August 
  the 
  insects 
  come 
  to 
  

   their 
  growth 
  and 
  acquire 
  their 
  wings; 
  but 
  the 
  mischief 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  

   finished, 
  and 
  the 
  plants 
  have 
  suffered 
  so 
  much 
  that 
  all 
  prospect 
  of 
  a 
  

   second 
  crop 
  of 
  beans 
  from 
  new 
  shoots, 
  produced 
  after 
  the 
  old 
  stems 
  are 
  

   cut 
  down, 
  is 
  frustrated. 
  

  

  These 
  leaf-hoppers 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  agility 
  in 
  their 
  motions, 
  and 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  the 
  same 
  habits, 
  as 
  the 
  vine-hoppers 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  perfect 
  state 
  they 
  

   are 
  longer, 
  more 
  slender, 
  and 
  much 
  more 
  delicate. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  pale- 
  

   green 
  color; 
  the 
  wing-covers 
  and 
  wings 
  are 
  transparent 
  and 
  colorless; 
  

   and 
  the 
  last 
  joint 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  feet 
  is 
  bluish. 
  The 
  head, 
  as 
  seen 
  from 
  

   above, 
  is 
  crescent-shaped, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  eyelets 
  are 
  situated 
  on 
  its 
  front 
  

   edge. 
  The 
  male 
  has 
  two 
  long 
  recurved 
  feathery 
  threads 
  at 
  the 
  extremity 
  

   of 
  the 
  body. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  rather 
  more 
  than 
  one-tenth, 
  

   but 
  less 
  than 
  three-twentieths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  wide. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  Tetti- 
  

   goniafabcv. 
  Probably 
  it 
  passes 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  the 
  vine- 
  

   hopper. 
  

  

  INSECTS 
  INJURING 
  THE 
  SQUASH 
  AND 
  PUMPKIN. 
  

  

  The 
  Squash-Borer, 
  Mgeria 
  (Melittia) 
  cucnriitce 
  Harris 
  (Fiji;. 
  36). 
  — 
  Often 
  suddenly 
  

   killiug 
  the 
  viue 
  ; 
  a 
  borer 
  in 
  the 
  stalk, 
  short 
  and 
  

   thick, 
  with 
  a 
  dark 
  head 
  and 
  a 
  dark 
  horny 
  patch 
  just 
  

  

  behind 
  it 
  ; 
  changing 
  to 
  a 
  beautiful 
  narrow-winged, 
  ^^j^^^ 
  VMV 
  .^^^^ 
  i^^ 
  

   orange-colored 
  moth 
  sr)otted 
  with 
  black. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  summer 
  when 
  the 
  vines 
  

   are 
  nearly 
  fully 
  grown 
  and 
  the 
  squashes 
  have 
  

   nearly 
  attained 
  their 
  full 
  size, 
  they 
  suddenly 
  

   die 
  as 
  if 
  cut 
  off 
  at 
  the 
  roots. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  work 
  

   of 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  of 
  the 
  beautiful 
  moth 
  here 
  Fig. 
  36.-Squash-Borer; 
  «,grub. 
  

   figured. 
  This 
  J^gericm 
  appears 
  in 
  New 
  England 
  from 
  July 
  10 
  to 
  Au- 
  

   gust 
  15, 
  when 
  it 
  deposits 
  its 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  stalk 
  of 
  the 
  vine 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   roots. 
  The 
  larva 
  on 
  hatching 
  bores 
  into 
  the 
  stalk, 
  and 
  when 
  nearly 
  

   grown 
  occupies 
  the 
  center 
  near 
  the 
  ground, 
  devouring 
  the 
  interior, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  killing 
  the 
  plant. 
  Here 
  it 
  lives 
  until 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  Septem- 
  

   ber 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  October, 
  when 
  it 
  either 
  deserts 
  the 
  vine 
  and 
  spins 
  a 
  

   rude 
  earthen 
  cocoon 
  near 
  the 
  roots, 
  or, 
  as 
  is 
  often 
  the 
  case, 
  remains 
  

   in 
  the 
  hollow 
  it 
  has 
  nrade 
  in 
  the 
  stalk, 
  and 
  then 
  changes 
  to 
  a 
  chrysalis. 
  

   From 
  this 
  fact 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  prevention 
  against 
  its 
  attacks 
  are 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  easy, 
  for 
  if 
  the 
  vines 
  are 
  collected 
  and 
  burned 
  in 
  the 
  autumn, 
  

   in 
  many 
  cases 
  the 
  worms 
  or 
  chrysalides 
  will 
  be 
  destroyed 
  with 
  them. 
  

  

  Description. 
  — 
  The 
  larva 
  is 
  a 
  short, 
  thick, 
  fleshy, 
  white 
  caterpillar, 
  with 
  short 
  legs, 
  

   and 
  a 
  dusky 
  head, 
  with 
  a 
  horny 
  dark 
  scale 
  on 
  the 
  segment 
  next 
  behind 
  it. 
  The 
  

   moth 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  beautiful, 
  being 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  o? 
  JEgerians, 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  wings 
  are 
  very 
  narrow. 
  The 
  body, 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  this 
  family, 
  is 
  unusually 
  thick. 
  It 
  

   is 
  dark 
  green 
  with 
  a 
  bluish 
  tint. 
  The 
  antennae 
  are 
  steel-blue. 
  In 
  the 
  male 
  the 
  

   antennae 
  are 
  pectinated, 
  and 
  the 
  abdomen 
  dark 
  above. 
  In 
  the 
  female 
  the 
  abdomen 
  

   is 
  orange-red 
  above 
  and 
  beneath, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  basal 
  segment 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  side 
  are 
  

   five 
  large 
  dark 
  spots. 
  The 
  legs 
  in 
  both 
  sexes 
  are 
  thick, 
  with 
  dense 
  stitf 
  hairs, 
  black 
  

   and 
  orange, 
  forming 
  brushes, 
  some 
  white 
  hairs, 
  and 
  four 
  stiff 
  spines 
  ; 
  a 
  large 
  white 
  

   spot 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  legs 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  breast. 
  Head 
  in 
  front 
  white; 
  palpi, 
  

   orange. 
  It 
  expands 
  nearly 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half. 
  

  

  49 
  G 
  s 
  

  

  