LIFE HISTORY OF THE COMMON SQUASH BUG. 27 



that the interior of almost the entire body and all of its appendages 

 were pervaded by the mycelium of the fungus, which, however, was not 

 in condition for satisfactory identification. It was stated to be " prob- 

 ably a conidial stage of some Cordyceps, a Sporotriclium sp." 



This squash bug is also subject to the bacterial disease, Bacillus ento- 

 motoxicon Duggar. 



NORTHERN LIMIT OF THE SPECIES. 



A letter from Dr. C. H. Fernald, dated January 19, 1899, is of unusual 

 interest as bearing upon the northward progress of this species. He 

 writes that during the fifteen years he was at the University of Maine, 

 at Orono, the squash bug did not occur there nor at Mount Desert, nor 

 in any part of eastern or northern Maine, so far as he could learn. He 

 received specimens from Auburn, Me., where the species was said to 

 be common, also from Waterville, which was the most northern and 

 eastern place in Maine where it occurred in his experience. 



Prof. F. L. Harvey, who has had opportunity of observing this spe- 

 cies in more recent years in Maine, has written us of its occurrence in 

 Orono, which is about 25 miles farther north and considerably farther 

 east than Waterville. 



ECONOMIC STATUS. 



It seems not improbable that injury by this squash bug is somewhat 

 exaggerated in many reported cases, tbe damage observed being often 

 due to other insects which are less apt to be noticed. We seldom find 

 less than three or four forms of injurious insects present at the same 

 time upon an infested plant, and this squash bug, on account of its 

 large size, is more apt to attract attention than are the much smaller 

 but more destructive striped cucumber beetle and melon louse; the 

 squash-vine borer, by reason of its concealed manner of living within 

 the vines, is not so readily detected, and the result is that the squash 

 bug receives the blame for the depredations of the others. 



An instance of the nature described was reported by a correspond- 

 ent at Sioux Falls, S. Dak., who wrote November 25, 1898, that this 

 species, specimens of which were sent, was the cause of the loss of 

 about two hundred vines of squash and pumpkins. The mature bug 

 was reported to bore in the vine, sucking out the sap. "A vine would 

 appear all right one day and the next would be flat on the ground, 

 wilted as if killed by frost," evidence of the presence of the vine borer. 



METHODS OF CONTROL. 



This squash bug, particularly tbe adult, is uuusually resistant to 

 insecticides. A wash strong enough to kill the mature insect will at 

 the same time destroy the vines. This renders it necessary to employ 

 hand and cultural methods. 



A number of the remedies in use against the striped cucumber bee- 

 tle, as already outlined in Circular No. 31, second series, will assist in 



