684 
Fig. 1. 
a 
cabbage fields and the numbers so in- 
crease aS to cause much damage. In 
the southern part of the state the adults 
continue active throughout the winter. 
Food Plants 
This bug is especially fond of all 
cruciferous plants, including mustard, 
radish, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, rape, 
horseradish, etc. Other food plants are 
potatoes, eggplant, okra, beans, beets, 
roses, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, 
squash, ragweed, pigweed, wild lettuce, 
lambsquarters and most of the plants be- 
longing to the caper family. Occasion- 
ally nursery trees, citrus, locust, cherry, 
and plum are injured, and the fruit of 
the grape and corn ears also suffer. 
Control 
Methods recommended for the squash 
bug are also applicable to the control of 
the cabbage bug. Planting an early crop 
of cabbage, rape, mustard or radish is 
especially recommended. The eggs are 
laid in great numbers upon these plants 
and together with the adults may be de- 
stroyed. This practice greatly lessens 
Subsequent attacks. 
See under Squash. 
Natural Enemies 
Great numbers of the eggs are destroy- 
ed by two small internal parasites, T'ri- 
ssolcus murgantiae Ashm. and Ooencyrtus 
johnsoni How. The wheel bug, Arslus 
cristatus Linn., feeds upon the young 
nymphs in the Hastern states. 
H. O. Essie 
Hop Flea Beetle 
Psylliodes punctulata Melsh 
Family Chrysomelidae 
General Appearance 
A very small, black metallic beetle 
with greenish tinge; oval in form; one 
tenth of an inch long and half as wide. 
The eggs are very small, oval in shape 
The Cabbage Bug, Ifurgantia histronica (Hahn.), 
d and e, eggs; adults at right. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
aand b, young; 
—After Riley 
and yellow. The larvae are small white 
grubs about 5 mm. long. The white 
pupae as well as the larvae are found in 
the soil. 
Life History 
The adults appear early in the spring 
and are ready to attack the first hop 
plants as soon as they come through the 
ground. They feed upon the upper sur- 
faces of the leaves, completely skeletoniz- 
ing them. The vines are attacked when 
young and are often completely destroy- 
ed before they have reached a height of 
three or four feet. When disturbed the 
beetles hop or fall to the ground. They 
are able to make their way through the 
soil without much difficulty and lay their 
eggs upon the roots of the food plants. 
The larvae are very small and white 
in color with dusky markings. They 
live in the ground feeding upon the roots 
of various plants. When full grown they 
pupate in the soil from which the adults 
emerge throughout nearly the _ entire 
year, the largest number appearing from 
early spring to August. There are prob- 
ably two generations a year. 
Food Plants 
This species feeds upon hops, cabbage, 
potatoes, beets, turnips, dock, lambsquar- 
ters, pigweed, clover, rhubarb, cucumber, 
radish, mustard and nettle. 
Control 
There have been numerous methods 
of control recommended for this pest. The 
measures directed against the hibernat- 
ing beetles consist in killing all on the 
poles or burning up the rubbish. In the 
spring the first step consists in capturing 
the adult beetles on the young vines. A 
tarred board or hand hopper dozer is used 
on or into which the beetles are shaken. 
Tanglefoot bands around the bases of the 
tresseled vines, as well as around the 
poles, not only keep the beetles from the 
