110 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



He says: "pale in color — sometimes dark" having the wing covers 

 spotted with black. Out of sixteen we mounted at random all are 

 entirely black on the wing covers excepting one which had brownish 

 elytra bearing four black stripes, two on each wing cover as shown in 

 Mr. Saunders figure which we give above. We would think the reverse 

 of Mr. Saunders' statement — usually black, sometimes pale — would be 

 more nearly correct. Prof. Forbes in his Second Report, page 161, 

 says: "In the lighter specimens the ventral segments and three spots 

 on each elytron are black. Whether these variations in color are due 

 to age, sex or food we do not know. It is evident that some careful 

 work is still needed upon the habits and transformations of this 

 insect. The eggs so far as we know are not known, nor the place of 

 deposition. It is probable that these beetles hybernote, and the 

 pupa that spring-, but spent the winter in the beetle form about the 

 roots of the plant. 



Remedies. 



Should the beetles crawl up the canes before the buds start or after 

 the leaves unfold and before the fruit is formed spraying with 

 Paris green would prove effectual. 



Should they appear after the leaves and fruit are formed, as is 

 usually the case, then it would be unsafe to use Paris green, and 

 hellebore would have to be used. 



Mr. Bray's experience would indicate that Paris green is not 

 efficient. Certainly one pound to fifty gallons ought to kill 

 them. A repellant or an insecticide that would injure the insect 

 would have to be applied. 



As the beetles probably hybernate it would be well to clean up all 

 rubbish about the canes that would afford them winter shelter. 



Hand picking though slow may have to be resorted to to check them. 



THE CUCUMBER FLEA-BEETLE. 

 Crepidodera cucumeris, Harris. 

 Ordek Coleoptera. Family Chrysomelidae. 

 A small black beetle about one-sixteenth of an inch long. The an- 

 tennae and legs are yellow. The hind pair large and strong and 

 adapted for jumping. Very abundant in Maine, early in the 

 spring - upon various garden, plants, eating small holes in the 

 leaves. It was reported as feeding upon petunias. The 

 beetles spent the winter under rubbish or stones and are 

 ready to attack the earliest plants. The larvae are said to 

 live on the leaves attacked. There are several broods during 

 the summer. The beetle enlarged is shown in Fig. 7. The short line at 

 the left shows the real size. 



