INSECT PESTS 243 



Although definite proof is lacking, it is probable that H. laurentii 

 is the species which attacks peanuts. Unlike some wireworms, this 

 species completes its development within one year. It prefers cultivated 

 lands to sod areas. This and other species of the genus Heteroderes are 

 limited to tropical and subtropical areas (87). 



The major facts regarding wireworm damage to peanuts are yet to 

 be determined. 



White Grubs. The larvae of Strigoderma arboricola (F.), have been 

 reported doing serious damage to peanuts in Virginia (105). The grubs 

 attacked the peanut pods and often devoured the nuts. Soil fungi 

 {Rhizoctonia) apparently invaded the pods through abrasions in the shell 

 and caused rotting of the peanuts. The damage was more severe on soils 

 fairly high in organic matter. The grubs caused 85 percent loss in some 

 fields. 



The adult of these grubs is a beetle (Rutelid) 10 to 12 mm. long. The 

 head, thorax and scutellum are blackish green in color and the elytra are 

 dull brownish yellow ( 18) . The beetles feed on the flowers of wild and 

 cultivated roses and on blackberry blossoms and fruits. On collecting 

 adults from many other plants, Grayson (63) concluded that neither 

 the larva nor the adult was host specific for peanuts, and that grub dam- 

 age to peanuts in Virginia was of a minor nature during 1944 and 1945. 



Lesser Cornstalk Borer. The lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmo palpus 

 lignosellus (Zell.), is widely distributed over southern United States, 

 Mexico and South America. The larva is slender and greenish. in color 

 with indistinct transverse bands of a lighter color on the anterior margin 

 of each segment ; it is usually a little less than one inch long when mature. 

 The adult is a yellowish brown to blackish-colored moth with a wing 

 expanse slightly less than one inch. 



The larva feeds on corn, beans, cowpeas, s^jgar cane, peanuts, 

 sorghum and many other crops. Damage is caused by the insect tunnelling 

 in the stem of the host plant. When not feeding, the larva usually rests in 

 a tube-shaped web near the surface of the soil. Crops on thin sandy soils 

 are injured most seriously. Four generations a year have been reported 

 in South Carolina and Mississippi, each requiring 4 to 5 weeks (94, 95). 



There is a strong belief in southern Alabama that the lesser cornstalk 

 borer is a serious pest of peanuts. Presumably the pest bores in the 

 stems, killing branches or entire plants. During two seasons, the writer 

 has not been able to find any serious damage to peanuts which could be 

 definitely attributed to lesser cornstalk borer. It is well known, however, 

 that the population of this species reaches destructive levels only at inter- 



