CLOVER AND ALFALFA PESTS 
Food Plants 
The larvae feed entirely upon the roots 
of plants. Undoubtedly a great variety 
are attacked. Serious damage has been 
reported, due to its ravages in alfalfa and 
clover fields. 
Control 
The greatest amount of damage is us- 
ually done in fields which have long been 
seeded to alfalfa or clover, where the 
breeding has not been disturbed. Plow- 
ing and thorough cultivation will destroy 
most of the larvae, which are either 
crushed or die for lack of sufficient mois- 
ture. The females being wingless are 
unable to migrate sufficiently to cause 
serious damage in one year. A cultivated 
crop once in two or three years aS a ro- 
tation with clover or alfalfa is recom- 
mended when the destructiveness of the 
pest warrants strict remedial measures. 
Natural Enemies 
Carnes and Newcomer report a tachinid 
fly as parasitic upon the larvae. 
E. O. Essic 
Alfalfa Looper 
Autographa gamma californica Speyer 
(Family Noctuidae) 
General Appearance 
The adult moths have a wing expanse 
of about one and one-fourth inches with 
the body a little over one-half an inch 
long. The fore wings are light bluish- 
gray with rose or rust-colored and light 
markings, a very distinctive feature of 
which is one shaped like the Greek letter 
gamma near the middle. The hind wings 
and body are dull gray. The eggs are 
hemispherical and pale yellow. 
The young caterpillars are light green 
while the fully developed forms are dark 
olive-green; head light green; three dark 
longitudinal lines on the body; a dark 
spot back of the eye. There are three 
pairs of well-developed front legs, two 
pairs of abdominal legs just back of the 
middle, and one pair at the extreme pos- 
terior end. When full grown the larvae 
attain a length of about one inch. The 
cocoon is loosely spun of white silk; the 
chrysalis being brownish black in color, 
or paler. 
823 
Life History 
According to J. A. Hyslop, of the United 
States Department of Agriculture, this in- 
sect passes the winter in the pupal and 
adult stages, the moths appearing early 
in the spring and are especially active, 
laying eggs in May and June in the alfal- 
fa fields. The young larvae or loopers 
are plentiful in June, feeding upon the 
leaves of the plants. In about two weeks 
they are full-grown and spin a loose white 
cocoon among the leaves, in which to pu- 
pate. After twelve days the adult moths 
emerge. The entire life cycle requires 
about a month. There are two generations 
a year-—the second broods coming on in 
July. 
Food Plants 
The larvae are very destructive to al- 
falfa, working upon the leaves and blos- 
soms. They also feed upon clover, garden 
peas, cabbage, barley, elder, dock and 
wild malva. 
Natural Enemies 
AS very well shown by Mr. Hyslop, this 
insect is so held in check by natural 
enemies that artificial remedies are yet 
unnecessary. Internal hymenopterous 
parasites and tachinid flies are respon- 
sible for the good work. In the state of 
Washington five of the former and two of 
the latter have been recorded. 
Alfalfa Weevil 
Phytonomus posticus _ 
This threatening pest belongs to the 
snout beetle family. Its native home 
seems to have been the shores of the 
Mediterranean sea. It appeared first in 
this country in Utah, about 1904. It haa 
spread by 1914 to the greater part of the 
alfalfa district of Utah, to several 
counties in the southwestern part of Ida- 
ho and several points in Wyoming. 
It feeds upon other legumes besides al- 
falfa but does its greatest damage there. 
Life History 
The eggs are laid in April, May and 
June, two to thirty in number in one 
place in the stems of the alfalfa in feed- 
ing punctures. Females, under favorable 
conditions, lay several hundred eggs dur- 
ing the egg laying period. The eggs hatch 
