UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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% BULLETIN No. 964 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



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Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



September 20, 1921 



GARDEN FLEA -HOPPER IN ALFALFA AND ITS 



CONTROL. 



By A. H. Beyer, Scientific Assistant, Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Origin and distribution 2 



Synonymy 3 



History of the species and its injuries 3 



Recent injuries 5 



Damage to alfalfa r> 



Host plants 8 



Description 11 



Adult 11 



Egg 14 



Nymph 14 



Life history and habits 17 



Mating 17 



O viposition 17 



Egg stage and process of hatching \<^ 



Life history and habits — Continued. 



Number and length of instars 20 



Length of Hfe of the adult 20 



Hibernation 20 



Spring appearance and ni:ml;er of genera- 

 tions 21 



Feeding habits 21 



Protective haliits 22 



Rearing methods 23 



Natural enemies 24 



Remedial and prevent ive methods 24 



Dusting and spraying tests in the field 24 



Summary 26 



Literature cited 27 



INTRODUCTION. 



Little information has been recorded regarding the biology, habits, 

 and control of Halticus citri, known as the garden flea-hopper. Dr. 

 F. H. Chittenden was the first to attach to Halticus citri (Ashmead), 

 then known as Halticus uhleri (Giard), the common name, chosen 

 because of the insect's injm'ies to truck crops and its saltaloiy power. 



In addition to other leguminous plants the insect attacks alfalfa, 

 injuring the plant by sucking the juices, and in fields where heavy 

 infestation occurs may cause the loss of 50 to 60 per cent of the crop. 

 As little was known of the insect outside of its depredations on truck 

 crops, observations and life-history studies on the garden flea- 

 hopper on alfalfa were conducted during the years 1915, 1916, and 

 part of 1917, at Columbia, S. C.. and also a series of control experi- 

 ments for the purpose of determining the most effective means of 

 combating outbreaks of the pest. The bulletin, therefore, gives < 

 the results accomplished by means of a combination of field and labo- 

 ratory experiments. 



48309°— 21 -Dull. 964 1 



