1004 I. M. Hawtry 
The parent beetle of S. taenzata lives for a relatively long time and the 
period of oviposition covers a month or more. Beetles have been seen in 
copulation from June, when the ovaries were still immature, until Septem- 
ber, when nearly all the eggs were deposited. Since the period of egg laying 
may vary so greatly, it seems likely that some beetles which emerge late 
in the summer and continue to oviposit for a long time may pass the winter 
in the beetle stage. Chittenden (1903) states that the insect hibernates 
as an adult, and Gibson (1913) found overwintering beetles in timothy 
fields in Ontario (Canada) in May. ‘There is therefore good evidence of 
adult hibernation in some places, but the writer believes that this is rare 
in New York. » Forbes (1905) believes that in Illinois the insect hibernates 
as a larva, and the writer’s observations point to the same conclusion for 
New York. Chittenden (1900) believes that there may be a second 
brood at Washington, but the writer believes that in New York there is 
only one brood. 
SEASONAL HISTORY 
The parent beetle of Systena taeniata, emerging during June and July, 
‘deposits eggs in the ground around ragweed, lamb’s-quarters, and possibly 
other hosts, from July to September. These eggs hatch in from two to 
three weeks, and the larvae hibernate after feeding for some time on the 
fine roots of their host plants. During June and July of the next year 
these larvae emerge as pupae, and after two or three weeks the beetles 
appear. In New York there is only one generation a year. 
CONTROL 
Clean cultivation is an important factor in the control of Systena taenzata. 
Fence corners and the edges of fields, which are never cultivated and where 
ragweed and lamb’s-quarters flourish, often become centers of infestation. 
The pupae of taeniata have been found in large numbers around these 
weeds at the side of a field that had been in beans the preceding year. 
In this field the beetles were first seen near these weeds in the spring, 
and thruout the summer, when beans were again planted, the insects 
were more numerous along this border of the field. When the female 
beetles are mature they seek out these weed hosts as places for oviposition. 
The careful eradication of these weeds from the side of the fields and from 
among the bean plants will help greatly in reducing the numbers of the 
insect. Eggs are often deposited near weeds growing in the field proper, but 
it is probable that many larvae and pupae are destroyed when the ground 
is fitted for the following crop. If these weeds are removed from a field 
and from its environs late in August, when most of the eggs are deposited, 
the young larvae will be without food and many will die. One grower 
planted beans in the same field for several succeeding years, and there 
were always many taenzata present on his plants. Early in September, 
1919, he pulled out all of the ragweed and lamb’s-quarters growing in 
the field proper, as well as that along the margin, and in 1920 not more 
