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Hoiv to Control It with Insecticides 

 Hov^ to Prevent Its Spread 



The wliite- fringed beetle ^ seri- 

 ously damages field and garden 

 crops and ornamental plants. It 

 will feed on almost any kind of 

 plant — from ^Yild 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 insecticides 

 can prevent crop damage. If they 

 are applied soon after an infestation 

 is located, spread of the insect is 

 prevented. 



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 un- 

 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 



It is not known how and when 

 the insect established itself in the 

 United States, but the beetles were 



^ Graphoffnathus spp. 



first found in a peanut field in 

 Okaloosa County, Fla., in 1936. 

 Since then, they have been located 

 in seven other Southeastern States 

 — Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana. 

 Mississippi, North Carolina, South 

 Carolina, and Tennessee — and in 

 New Jersey. 



Entomologists believe that the 

 white-fringed beetle could survive 

 in a latitude somewhat north of 

 Philadelphia, extending to southern 

 Iowa, which would include large 

 areas of the Corn Belt. Records of 

 the insect in South America indi- 

 cate that it could become established 

 in irrigated sections, 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 lifetimes. 



How do the beetles spread i They 

 are transported to new areas prin- 

 cipally in commerce. Adults may 

 attach themselves to seed cotton, 

 hay, agricultural implements, or 

 even to man. Larvae may be spread 

 by the movement of soil, sod, nurs- 

 ery stock, and root crops, such as 

 potatoes. Hay harvested from in- 

 fested fields in late summer and fall 

 may contain viable eggs. 



The beetles are natives of Argen- 

 tina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. 

 Infestations have also been reported 

 in Xew South Wales, Australia, and 

 in the LTnion of South Africa. 



