Some Insects [njurious to Vegetables 1347 



Control. In spring the hungry hectics eat the leaves and 

 flowers of the young plants of cucumbers, melons and squashes, 

 and cause severe injury, sometimes destroying the plants. 



The plants, at least in home gardens, may be protected by 

 putting boxes, which have been made without tops or bottoms, 

 around them. The lower edges of these bottomless boxes should 

 be pressed into the earth so that the beetles cannot crawl under. 

 The tops of the boxes may be covered with coarse thin muslin, 

 at least until the second or third pairs of leaves appear on the 

 plants. 



Another protective measure is to keep the leaves of the plants 

 covered with tine sifted ashes or air-slaked lime. The beetles 

 seem to be repelled by the dust. 



Probably the most effective protection against these beetles is 

 afforded by spraying the plants thoroughly with arsenate of lead, 

 -Mj pounds to 50 gallons of water, or in smaller quantities at 

 the rate of 4 ounces to 5 gallons of water. Whatever is done 

 must be done thoroughly and often. The new leaves as they 

 appear should be covered with the repellant mixture. 



COMMON ASPARAGUS BEETLE 



Asparagus, introduced into the colonies with 

 the early settlers from Europe, is said to have 

 had no insect enemies for nearly two hundred 

 years. Now, however, it is sometimes seri- 

 ously injured by two beetles and a species of 

 fly. 



The most serious pest is the common aspar- 

 agus beetle (Crioceris asparagi). The beetle 

 is scarcely one-fourth inch in length, is blue- 

 black in color, with a red thorax, and with Fig. 403. — -Common 

 i ti i i t ^ ^ • -,i Asparagus Beetle 



lemon-yellow and dark-blue wing covers with a 



reddish border (Fig. 408). The adults vary considerably in 

 general color, some being darker, while others are lighter. 

 The beetles pass the winter under piles of rubbish, sticks or 

 stones and appear in the early spring about as the aspara- 

 gus is ready to cut for market. The adults -deposit their rather 

 large conspicuous dark-brown eggs on the stems of the aspar- 



