• HOW TO CONTROL THEM 



Cantaloups in the Southwest may be 

 attacked by one or more of the follow- 

 ing insects: The beet leaf hopper, leaf 

 miners, the southern garden leafhopper, 

 the western potato leafhopper, thrips, 

 the melon aphid, and cucumber beetles. 

 They are also attacked by spider mites 

 (red spiders) . 



These pests damage foliage, causing 

 leaf curling, loss of color, and exposure 

 of melons to the sun. They lower qual- 

 ity and yield. They stunt the growth 

 of plants and sometimes kill them. 



You can control the insects by apply- 

 ing insecticides — but do so only when 

 you are sure that they cannot be con- 

 trolled in some other way. If you de- 

 cide that an insecticide is necessary, 

 choose the right one and use it wisely. 

 In most instances, cantaloup insects are 

 kept in check by insect enemies. In- 

 secticides kill these natural enemies. 

 They also kill bees, which are necessary 

 to the pollination of cantaloups. 



Do not apply insecticides as a pre- 

 ventive measure. Apply them only to 

 kill insects that are present, and then 



only after considering the possible 

 harmful effects. Check each field reg- 

 ularly. If you see harmful insects, note 

 whether their natural enemies, such as 

 aphis-lions, the larvae and adults of lady 

 beetles, and wasplike parasites, are also 

 present. With the help of these natural 

 enemies it is often possible to produce 



C&F— 3869 



Parasite attacking an aphid. 



TC— 2202 



Larva and adult of a lady beetle. 



a crop of cantaloups without using 

 insecticides. 



Use only those insecticides recom- 

 mended for cantaloups. Some insecti- 

 cides, such as toxaphene and sulfur, 

 severely damage cantaloup plants. 



Insecticides that may be used to con- 

 trol cantaloup insects are demeton, 

 parathion, malathion, dieldrin, ovex, 

 and cryolite. Demeton is purchased as 

 an emulsifiable concentrate, which is 

 mixed with water to form an emulsion : 

 the emulsion is applied as a spray. 

 Ovex and cryolite may be purchased as 

 dusts, ready to use. The other insecti- 

 cides may be purchased in either form. 



