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Beetle 



HOW TO CONTROL IT 



The white- fringed beetle 1 seri- 

 ously damages field and garden 

 crops and ornamental plants. It 

 will feed on almost any kind of 

 plant — from wild asters, blackber- 

 ries, and cockleburs to peanuts, cot- 

 ton, potatoes, tobacco, and corn. 



The larvae, or grubs, do most of 

 the damage. They live in the soil 

 and feed on the roots of the plants. 

 Adult beetles feed on the foliage 

 but cause little damage. Affected 

 plants usually turn yellow, wilt, and 

 die. Those that survive seldom 

 develop normally. 



The application of approved in- 

 secticides will prevent crop damage. 

 Eradication can be accomplished by 

 treating the entire infested area 

 and protecting its boundaries from 

 reinfestation. 



Before the development of effec- 

 tive control measures, the beetles 

 caused widespread damage. Farm- 

 ers near Florala, Ala., were hard 

 hit in 1936, 1937, and 1938. Dam- 

 age was so severe in 1938 that 1,500 

 acres of cropland were left im- 

 planted. 



Crop damage still occurs, but it 

 is limited to infested lands that 

 haven't been treated properly for 

 the control of the white-fringed 

 beetle. 



ORIGIN AND SPREAD 



White-fringed beetles are native 

 to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and 

 Uruguay. Infestations also have 

 been reported in New South Wales, 

 Australia, and the Union of South 

 Africa. In the spring of 1936, a 

 farmer near S v e a , Okaloosa 



1 Grai)hog)iathi(s spp. 



County, Fla., reported a field of 

 peanuts damaged by numerous 

 small grubs to his county agricul- 

 tural agent. During the summer 

 of that year the county agent col- 

 lected adults of the insect. These 

 were identified as white-fringed 

 beetles, not previously known in 

 the United States. 



The pest was reported the same 

 year from the northern part of Wal- 

 ton County, Fla., and around Flor- 

 ala, Ala. In May 1937, destructive 

 numbers of larvae were found in 

 these localities attacking peanuts, 

 velvetbeans, cotton, and corn. 

 White-fringed beetles also were 

 found at several localities in the 

 States of Louisiana and Mississippi 

 in 1937. The pest has been found 

 in limited portions of Alabama, Ar- 

 kansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, 

 Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, 

 Xorth Carolina, South Carolina, 

 Tennessee, and Virginia. 



Entomologists believe that white- 

 fringed beetles could survive in a 

 latitude somewhat north of Phila- 

 delphia, extending to southern 

 Iowa, which includes large areas of 

 the Corn Belt. 



Records of the insect in South 

 America indicate that it could be- 

 come established in irrigated sec- 

 tions, such as those in Western 

 United States. 



White-fringed beetles cannot 

 move any great distance on their 

 own. The larvae are legless, and 

 move only a few feet in the soil 

 while they are feeding. The adults 

 cannot fly but may crawl up to one- 

 fourth mile during their lifetime. 



The beetles spread to new areas 

 primarily in commerce. Adults 



