ON PESTS GENERALLY. 



I089 



The late Professor J. V. Riley advocated this plan for the United 

 States of America, where the pest is double-brooded. The 

 accompanying illustration (Fig. 700) shows the inconspicuous 

 Moth and full-grown larvae. 



Earwigs are too well known as to their general conformation 

 to need any description. They are usually regarded as vege- 

 tarians, but they are also carnivorous, and in captivity they 

 seem to show a preference for the latter dietary. Some little of 

 the evil reputation they have acquired is due to the habit 

 they have of concealing themselves in flowers, fruit, &c. For 

 all that, they are addicted to gnawing 

 the petals of many flowers, and of pene- 

 trating into fruits like Apples, Peaches, 

 and Apricots ; but whether or not they 

 go there simply for shelter or for the 

 purpose of partaking of the sweets, has 

 not been satisfactorily determined. These 

 insects are best trapped by means of 

 flower-pots half filled with straw and 

 placed on sticks ; old hats, similarly 

 treated ; Broad Bean or other hollow 

 stalks laid in their haunts ; and .pieces 

 of paper loosely rolled and placed in 

 the plants or trees affected. These traps 

 should be examined each morning, and FlG _ 70I ._ CoMMON Ear 

 the insects consigned to a vessel of 

 boiling water. Many Earwigs have the 

 power of flight, though, as in the case of 

 the common Forficula auricularia (Fig. 

 701), they do not often avail themselves 



of it. Labia minor, a much smaller insect, may frequently be 

 found on the wing. 



Eelworms. — By this popular name are known several species 

 of Nematoid Worms which of late years have given gardeners 

 considerable trouble. They belong to different genera and 

 affect a large number of plants — Strawberries, Clover, Wheat, 

 Potatoes, Cucumbers, Melons, Tomatoes, Vines, Onions, Hops, 

 and Hyacinths, as well as Pasture Grasses and common way- 

 side weeds. Eelworms are so readily introduced that the 

 greatest care should be exercised when obtaining new potting 

 soils, as this is a common source of trouble. The pests are 

 barely visible to the naked eye, being only imm. long and 

 whitish. They are pointed at either end. 



Eelworms are found in large numbers; they pierce the tissues 

 of their hosts, and extract therefrom the juices. The symptoms 

 of attack vary with its severity, and a little with the species 

 found. Melons, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes may collapse 



4 a 



wig — Variety with 

 Long Forceps. 



(magnified about three 

 diameters.) 



