GREEN 80LDIER-BUG OH ORANGE TREES. 81 



of berries before the bugs carae ; but the last week of bearing the crop 

 was again destroyed by the same insect. 



Is it a new plague, or has it been known before, and can you tell me 

 what it is, and what will prevent its ravages in the future I — [Mrs. Geo. 

 Sciiall. North Wales, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, July 1. L883. 



[The inseet accompanying this letter, and which was said to injure 

 strawberries, was a common beetle known as Stelidota strigosa, Schon. 

 It has never been recorded as doing any appreciable damage to any 

 crop before. It feeds ordinarily upon fallen fruit, in which the female 

 also lays her eggs. The larva attains its full growth in a short time, 

 and the beetle issues in late summer and hibernates in this state. With 

 regard to remedies, it will be difficult to advise. Feeding on the fruit 

 as it does, the ordinary poisons cannot be used. The insects and their 

 breeding habits should be carefully studied on the spot ; in this way a 

 remedy can doubtless be found. J 



Green Soldier-Bug (Raphig aster hilaris) on Orange Trees. 



* * * You also request observations on the Green Soldier-bug. I 

 forward by same mail twigs of the orange tree injured by the bug. The 

 insects are coupling now. The females will soon lay the eggs in a 

 cluster on a leaf, straddling over them while laying. The young ap- 

 pear in the latter part of February or the first part of March. As ob- 

 served by the eye the young are black, with white spots, which color 

 they retain until nearly full grown, when they acquire wings and change 

 to a bright green. How this is done I do not kuow. They mature very 

 quickly, and increase with surprising rapidity, continuing to breed 

 until November. In the spring and early summer they confine their 

 attacks principally to garden vegetables and succulent wet els. They 

 are particularly abundant on tomato- vines, egg-plants, turnip-tops, and 

 mustard, seldom doing much damage to orange trees at this season. 

 When pea-vines are well grown, about or a little before the time of blos- 

 soming, they abandon nearly everything for the pea-vines. Last year 

 they totally destroyed my garden. Not one tomato came to perfection. 

 Where the insect had inserted its sucking-tube a reddish-yellow spot 

 appeared. When cut the fruit was full of lumps and totally devoid of 

 flavor. The tomato-vines grew so enormous a crop that the ground 

 was almost covered by the fallen fruit. Last year 1 had 35 acres 

 planted in cow pea vines, which bore an enormous crop of peaf ; 

 but not enough sound peas could be gathered to plant 5 acres addi- 

 tional land. Later it was impossible to and a sound pea. I attempted 

 to turn under the vines, but so luxuriant was the growth that it could 

 not be done. Towards the end of August the pea-vines were dead or 

 dying, when the bugs swarmed to the orange tree, killing nearly all the 

 8993— Bui. 4 6 



