36 



BEET INSECTS. 



Possibly more attention was paid during the summer to sugar-beet 

 enemies than to any other class of insect pests in the region watched 

 by me. This was due to the interest which is centered in that partic- 

 ular crop at the present time and also because of my having already paid 

 considerable attention to this subject. It is needless, therefore, forme 

 to state that during the season several additional species have been 

 found attacking that plant here in Nebraska. Among these a small 

 Hemipteron (Radronema militaris Uhl.), that has heretofore been fre- 

 quently seen and taken on different species of Amarantus in the 

 western part of the state and in Colorado, was very common, in fact 

 quite numerous, upon a small patch of beets in Sioux county during 

 the latter part of July. Like others of these Hemiptera it attacks 

 the leaves and leaf stems by inserting its beak and sucking the sap. 

 Usually, but not always, the points attacked show as stained or par- 

 tially deadened spots. Two or three additional leaf-hoppers were also 

 taken upon beets here and at Norfolk, West Point, Grand Island and 

 other locaties where beet fields were visited. These, however, were not 

 present in sufficient numbers to do any noticeable injury to the parts 

 attacked. The names of these were not ascertained, but will be. re- 

 ported later if deemed advisable. 



Blister-beetles of several species, though none that were new to the 

 plant, were unusually common and troublesome at a number of locali- 

 ties within this State and parts of Kansas during the season. Here at 

 Lincoln, as well as at other localities, the common black one, Epicauta 

 pcnnsylvanica, was exceedingly annoying to the owners of patches of 

 beets. This beetle always comes and goes in comparatively large num- 

 bers, and one never knows where it will settle in the field. Choosing 

 certain plants the insects congregate upon them and either eat the 

 leaves full of holes or completely strip off all the foliage before going 

 to the adjoining plants. Or, possibly, as soon as one plant has been 

 stripped, they Ayill go to another part of the patch or else leave alto- 

 gether. In Sioux county the small Spotted Blister-beetle, Epicauta 

 maculata, appeared to be the most common of these insects, and 

 was always met with in large numbers on upland wherever beets were 

 growing or a clump of the Chenopodmm album occurred. Others of the 

 blister-beetles were taken in the beet fields during the season, but 

 these were present in much smaller numbers, and did but little dam- 

 age as compared with what was done by the two species named above. 

 Hand picking was more successfully used in combating these insects 

 than any other remedy tried. Poisons in the case of Epicauta pennsyl- 

 vanica proved to be of little or no value, since the insects often left 

 immediately after the application was made, and at all times before 

 they had eaten sufficient of the poisoned leaves to have any visible 

 effect upon them. In the case of the Spotted Blister-beetle, poison was 

 not tried that I am aware of; but I believe it would be more effective 



