INSECT ENEMIES OF EASTERN FORESTS 181 
tinct white spots below the wing covers and at the tip of the abdomen 
are diagnostic. The legs and lower surface are greenish yellow. The 
beetles feed on practically all species of fruit and vegetation in their 
range. Trees and shrubs may be severely defoliated, largely by skele- 
tonization. Turf, vegetables, and certain nursery stock have been de- 
stroyed by the larvae in many instances. In many eastern cities the 
Japanese beetle is considered one of the worst of insect pests. Both 
the adults and larvae may occur in extremely large numbers. 
The 1-year life cycle is as follows: Adults, in the vicinity of Philadel- 
phia, appear about the middle of June, and are most active to the last 
of August. Females lay from 40 to 60 eggs, mostly at night, and 
preferably in moist, loamy soil. Hatching in about 2 weeks, the larvae 
feed on rootlets and dead vegetation until late in October, at which time 
they go into hibernation. Larval growth is completed in the spring. 
The pupal stage begins about the first of June and requires 2 or 3 weeks, 
at the end of which time the beetles are ready to emerge. In the north- 
ern limits of its range and in very cold, damp soils, 2 years may be re- 
quired to complete the life cycle. 
Control of the adults by the use of DDT sprays is very effective, and 
traps have been more or less successful. Attempts at larval control 
have involved soil poisoning, applications of the milky disease, various 
cultural practices, and the importation of parasites. Parasites of the 
genus 77phia promise to be effective, as up to about 40 percent parasiti- 
zation has already occurred in heavily infested areas. Rainfall below 
a 10-inch combined total for June, July, and August results in the 
desiccation of many eggs and small larvae, and consequently a reduced 
infestation the following year. During dry summers beetles tend to 
oviposit in moist areas, and this results in the concentration of larvae 
and in localized injury. 
At least four species of the genus Pelédnota occur in eastern America, 
of which P. punctata (L.), the spotted pelidnota, is best known. 
It occurs from New York to the Gulf and west to Kansas. This species 
is about 20 mm. long. reddish brown above, with three black spots on 
each wing cover and one on each side of the prothorax. The scutellum, 
base of the head, and entire body beneath are deep bronzed green. The 
adults are well known as pests of grape vines, wild or cultivated, but 
they undoubtedly take other food. The life cycle covers 2 to 3 years, 
the larvae typically occurring in decayed hardwood stumps, but some- 
times in decaying roots and logs. Such wood serves as larval food, 
thus classing them as beneficial rather than injurious to forest stands. 
Only two or three species of the genus Cotalpa occur in eastern 
America, and of these (. lanigera (.) the goldsmith beetle, is best 
known. It isa large form, ranging from 22 to 26 mm., and is broadly 
oval and convex. It is lemon-yellow above, except for the head and 
prothorax, which are glittering and the color of burnished gold; the 
under side of the body is greenish to copper colored and covered by 
whitish wool. The species occurs from Canada to the Gulf and at least 
as far westward as the Great Plains. The beetles are common in the 
Chippewa National Forest nurseries at Cass Lake, Minn., 
The adults, in the North, feed on leaves of aspen, willow, oak, and 
other hardwoods. The food habits in the South are unknown. Fairly 
extensive tests with all sizes of larvae indicate that they eat coniferous 
roots, but to a much less degree than do Phyllophaga, even in heavy 
