Potato Insects and their Control 179 



Leaf-hoppers (Empoasca mali) 



These leaf-sucking insects do some damage to potato 

 tops by sucking the juices and making holes in the leaves. 

 The most common of the leaf-hoppers is Empoasca mali, 

 which is a small, elongated, pale-green insect, very active, 

 jumping and flying readily. 



This insect spends the winter either in the adult or in 

 the egg stage. It appears in the spring and starts to feed 

 upon the apple or other food plants, and soon lays its eggs. 

 The nymphs from the over-wintering eggs are found about 

 the middle of May. Usually about four broods develop 

 during the season. The leaf-hoppers are generally all gone 

 by the first of October. 



Control. — They do not require special treatment, never 

 appearing in sufficient numbers to do any great damage. 

 Treatment for other insects readily keeps them in check. 



The potato-stalk weevil (Trichobaris trinotata) 



This is a stalk-boring insect which does considerable 

 damage in the south central states. The adults are small 

 ash-gray beetles with a long snout, and the larvae are small 

 white grubs. 



The adults appear in the spring after hibernation and 

 eat holes in the base of the stalk with their long snouts and 

 deposit an egg in each hole. These soon hatch, and the 

 larvae make their way into the main stalk and branches. 

 These grubs become full grown near the middle of August, 

 and then they pupate in cocoons which they have spun 

 near the base of the stalks. Adults appear a week later 

 and remain in the stalks until the following year. 



Control. — Since the adults hibernate in the old stalks. 



