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INSECTS 



INJURIOUS TO THE STRAWBERRY. 



By W. Saunders, London, Ont. 



The Strawberry False Worm (Emphytus maculatus, Norton). 



In that portion of last year's Keport which treated of " Insects Injurious to the Straw- 

 berry," some reference was made to the strawberry false worm, and some details of its 

 appearance and history quoted from Mr. Riley's Reports ; up to that time we had no 

 personal acquaintance with the insect. On the 8th of July last, specimens of the larvae, 

 some full grown, others only partially grown were brought to us by Mr. William Russell, of 

 London, Ont., who found them destroying the strawberry plants in his garden. Mr. 

 Russell tells us that he had some of the worms last summer, for the first time — on his 

 vines, although not in snch numbers as he has had them during the present year. He 

 says they appear to come on the driest ground first. Three days later we visited Mr. 

 Russell's garden and found many of the plants badly eaten, some indeed completely 

 riddled ; it was nearly eight o'clock in the evening and many of the larvae were found 

 feeding on the upper surface of the leaves, although some were still half coiled up on the 

 under side. Mr. Russell says he can rarely find any on the leaves during the middle of 

 the- day, either above or below, but finds them late in the evening and early in the morn- 

 ing, and thinks they must descend to the ground in the day time, and hide, and crawl out 

 again in the evening. He had tried hellebore with water freely, but with less success than 

 he anticipated ; probably the mixture of Paris green and flour would prove a more effectual 

 remedy. 



The following description of the larva was taken July 9th, 1873. Length j-oths of 

 an inch ; body thickest on the anterior segments, tapering behind. Head rather small, 

 pale yellowish brown, with six black spots or dots, two on each side and two in front, one 

 of the latter just above the middle, the other on the upper margin, the last rather the 

 largest and deepest in cplour. Mandibles dark brown. 



The body above pale greenish with a faint whitish bloom ; skin semi-transparent 

 revealing the movements of the internal organs in dark greenish moving patches. There 

 is a broken band along each side of a deeper shade of green, composed of spots or patches 

 which coalesce on the anterior segments but are distinct and separate behind ; below the 

 bands the body is paler with a faint yellowish tint. 



Under surface pale yellowish and semi-transparent ; feet and prolegs — of which latter 

 there are eight pairs — all pale yellowish. 



A number of these larvae were put into a flower-pot with some leaves and earth, when 

 those which were full grown soon disappeared. On turning the earth out — in which they 

 had buried themselves— on the 23rd of July, we found that some of them had formed 

 oval cocoons by sticking together small fragments of earth, and within this enclosure 

 they were preparing for their next change ; they had already contracted in length, but 

 were still in the larval condition. 



