HANDBOOK OX INSECT ENEMIES OF FLOWERS AXD SHRUBS 89 



Garden Flea Hopper 



The garden flea hopper (Halticus 

 hracteatus (Say)) is a small bug. about 

 V> inch long, which looks somewhat 

 like a black plant louse. The adults 

 and greenish nymphs suck the juices 

 from the leaves and stems of various 

 plants, including verbena, chrysanthe- 

 mum, gladiolus, marigold, morning- 

 glory, smilax, zinnia, and many weeds. 

 This causes small pale or whitish spots 

 to appear in the areas on which the 

 hopper feeds (fig. 150. .4). Heavily 

 infested leaves are quickly killed. The 

 species occurs sporadically in gardens 

 and is capable of doing much damage in 

 a very short time. Plants growing in 

 shaded locations seem to be preferred. 

 These insects, especially the short- 

 winged females (fig. 150, B) are often 

 mistaken for flea beetles because of 

 their jumping habit when disturbed. 

 The adults overwinter in trash, and 

 in the spring the females lay their 

 eggs in the leaves and stems of plants. 



A B 



Figure 150. — Garden flea hopper: A, 

 Injured leaves showing whitish spots: 

 B. adult short-winged female, 4 

 times natural size; C, uninjured 

 leaves. 



Treatment. — Spray or dust the 

 insects with nicotine or pyrethrum. 



Prevention. — Gather and burn all 

 weeds and trash late in the fall to kill 

 the overwintering adults. 



Verbena Leaf Miner 



The small larvae, or maggots, of the 

 verbena leaf miner (Agromyza arte- 

 misiae (Kalt.)), like other related leaf 

 miners, feed between the leaf surfaces 



Figure 151. — Blotch or blisterlike mines 

 on a verbena leaf caused by the 

 verbena leaf miner. 



of verbena leaves. Each maggot feeds 

 singly, making a blister or blotchlike 

 mine (fig. 151), which is evident on the 

 leaf surface. The adult is a tiny two- 

 winged midge, or fly. 



Treatment and prevention. — Same 

 as for the burdock leaf miner (p. 30). 



Garden Webworm 



The garden webworm (Loxostege simi- 

 lalis (Guen.)), which is chiefly a pest 

 of the vegetable garden, feeds on scarlet 

 verbena and castor bean, as well as on 

 weeds and grasses. The caterpillars 

 spin a light webbing over the plants 

 and feed on the foliage beneath (fig. 

 152). "When disturbed they drop to 

 the ground or crawl down into tubular 

 portions of the webs. The full-grown 

 caterpillar (fig. 153, b. c) is a little over 

 1 inch long and is light greenish with 

 small darker spots over the body. 

 The adult is a buff-colored moth with 

 grayish markings. 



Treatment. — Spray or dust the in- 

 fested plants with lead arsenate, or 

 paris green or pyrethrum. on the rir-t 

 signs of injury. 



