858 
Hor Fiea BeEerite. See under Potato 
Pests. 
Merton Apuis. See Aphids. 
Melon Worm 
Diaphania hyalinata Linn 
This pest occurs in large numbers in 
Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. 
Description and Habits 
Parent Moths 
Melon worm moths are beautiful crea- 
tures, which may often be seen flying 
about cucurbit fields during the late fall 
months. They have wings of a pearly 
white color, bordered with brownish black 
(Fig. 1). The abdomen is also pearly 
white, tinged with brown at the caudal 
end, which terminates in a large movable 
brush of elongated yellow and dark-brown 
scales. Nearly all the underside of the 
body, including the legs, is of the same 
color as the wings. The wings expand 
one inch, or a little more. The moths, 
although shy and rapid fliers, are fre- 
quently seen during the daytime. 
Eggs 
These are pearly white in color, very 
small in size, and are laid in groups of 
from two to six or more on the stems, 
leaves and buds. They hatch in about 
four days in warm weather. 
Fig. 1. Melon Worm. 1, adult; 2, larva; 
3, pupa. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
Larvae 
Just hatched larvae are about a twen- 
ty-fifth of an inch long, with a pale 
brown head, and body of a pale yellow 
color, with no distinct markings. At 
about three days of age the skin is molt- 
ed for the first time, and then the body 
shows two faint longitudinal sub-dorsal 
white stripes, which become more prom- 
inent as the larvae develop. By these two 
white stripes melon worms (Fig. 1) may 
be readily distinguished until they are 
nearly grown, when the white stripes dis- 
appear. 
These worms often feed for their en- 
tire lifetime on the foliage, remaining 
on the underside partially concealed by 
thin silken webs. They also feed in the 
terminal bud .clusters, and bore into 
melons and squash like the pickle worms. 
The habit of feeding on the foliage makes 
it profitable to use poison sprays as a 
remedy. 
Cocoons and Pupae 
Melon worms spin thin silken cocoons 
in the folded edge of some leaf, like the 
pickle worms, but differ from the latter 
in being inclined to select a green leaf 
rather than a dying one. When the food 
plants are nearly defoliated the worms 
crawl to nearby weeds or grass, and 
there spin cocoons and pupate. 
Remedial Measures 
Because of feeding freely on the fol- 
iage, melon worms may be poisoned with 
arsenical sprays, and the additional meth- 
ods suggested for controlling pickle 
worms. See Pickle Worm, this section. 
Supplementing the poisoning method, 
the complete removal and destruction 
of badly infested trap plants, bady in- 
fested fruit of all cucurbits, and rem- 
nants of infested crops, together with the 
practice of deep plowing and rotation, 
should suffice to prevent serious damage 
from melon worms. R. I. Smiru 
NG. Exp. Sta. 
Northern Leaf-Footed Plant Bug 
Leptoglossus oppositus Say. 
This species has been reported as dam- 
aging melons in Maryland and the Dis- 
trict of Columbia, and occurs in many 
