SMALL, ACTIVE FLEA-BEETLES INJURING FOLIAGE 157 
work gives the leaf the appearance of being shot full of small holes, 
though frequently only the upper surface is eaten off at each feeding 
place. The beetle is so 
small that its markings 
can be made out only 
under a hand lens. It 
measures one sixteenth of 
an inch long, is quite 
black, and has yellowish 
legs and antennie. 
The larve are very 
slender, tiny worms, and 
live in the soil, feeding 
on the roots. When nu- 
merous on potatoes, they 
may cause the surface of ae 
Fic. 162. — Potato injured by larve of the 
the tubers to develop Cucumber Flea-beetle. Original. 
raised spots or ‘‘pimples.”’ 
The adults hibernate in rubbish. Their first generation is raised 
on weeds related to the potato, such as horse nettle and the like. 
There are two or three broods in a season. 
Bordeaux mixture combined with Paris green or arsenate of lead and 
applied as a spray is the best remedy. It will drive away most of the 
beetles, and those that remain will be poisoned. 
The Pale-striped Flea-beetle (Systena teniata var. blanda Say) 
The common name well describes this species. The adult is one 
eighth inch long, its thorax cream colored, and its wing covers striped 
with the same shade, alternating with yellow. 
Practically every kind of garden or field crop is attacked, including 
sugar beets, corn, tomatoes, melons, cabbages, turnips, cotton, and 
many others. The foliage of the plants is riddled with fine holes. 
The larve feed on the roots of common weeds. The pest passes 
the winter as a rule in the larval stage, the adults appearing in large 
numbers in the early part of summer. There is one brood annually. 
