GRAPEVINE FLEA-BEETLES. 25 



lesser species merely pit the upper surface of thick-leaved varieties 

 of grapes, and eat small holes in the foliage of thin-leaved varieties. 

 Both stages of its larger ally strip the leaf tissue of varieties like the 

 Delaware, while on leaves of varieties like the Concord the larva 

 makes large whitish patches on the upper surface, and the adult, 

 also feeding on the upper surface of the leaves, eats large holes in 

 them. 



Almost no other insect can cause as severe injury to the grape 

 crop, in restricted areas, as that of which the grapevine flea-beetle 

 is capable when the grape buds are swelling. The lesser species, 

 which emerges later, is less destructive. Both species are sporadic 

 in their occurrence from season to season and they are now restricted 

 in their distribution largely to vineyards adjacent to wild grape 

 arbors. A number of predatory enemies, of which Lebia viridis Say 

 is the most important, contribute to its natural control. 



Where vineyards are liable to injury from this pest, vigilance in 

 early spring is essential to safety. When the beetles do appear their 

 voracity makes prompt action necessary. If, as is usually the case, 

 the infestation covers only a small area, hand-picking the beetles will 

 probably be the most effective as well as the cheapest means of 

 control, while if a large area is infested, spraying with arsenate of 

 lead will probably be necessary. A spray application of 3 pounds of 

 arsenate of lead paste (1£ pounds powdered) is ordinarily recom- 

 mended, but if the infestation is severe and rains can be avoided, a 

 dosage of not less than 6 pounds of arsenate of lead paste (or 3 

 pounds powdered) to 50 gallons of water may be used. The larvae 

 of the lesser species and most of those of the larger species may 

 be readily destroyed by the usual spray applications for the grape- 

 berry moth and the grapevine rootworm, and these measures, together 

 with up-to-date vineyard tillage, make it practically impossible for 

 these pests to reproduce in a vineyard and limit them to wild vines. 

 Very rarely a spray application before the grapes bloom will be ad- 

 visable to destroy the earliest larvae of A. chalybea. These measures 

 have probably been the cause for the change in the economic status 

 of the grapevine flea-beetle from apparently a first-rate pest of 20 

 years ago to one of second-rate importance at present. 



