86 



SMALL PEUIT CULTURIST. 



destructive to the leaves of the plants, frequently strip- 

 ping a plantation of its foliage m a few days. I have 

 since ascertained that these worms are the larvie of the 

 Emphijtus macidatus of Xorton, a small black fly, figure 

 26. Tliis worm has received the common name of 

 " Strawberry Worm/'' and appears to have become abun- 

 dant throughout the Xorthern States, and really more 

 destructive to strawberry plantations in the West than at 

 the East. Prof. Eiley figured and described this insect 

 in voL 1, page 90, of the American Entomologist. The 

 worms are of a yellowish-green color, a little over a 

 half inch long, and when feeding are usually curled uj), 

 with the extremity of the body hanging down, as shown 



Fig. 23.— FLY or the strawberry Fig. 27.— strawberry 



WORM — E>'LARGED. WORM. 



in figure 2T. The parent fly appears in our Xorthern 

 States early in May, and, as I have said, is of a black 

 color, with two rows of transverse whitish spots upon the 

 abdomen. The female deposits her eggs m the leaf stalks, 

 first puncturing them by means of a saw-like instrument 

 with which she is provided, and thrusting her eggs into 

 the wounds thus made. The eggs hatch m a few days, 

 and the young grubs immediately attack the leaves. 

 AVlien fully grown they descend into the ground, roll 

 themselves up iu a slender cocoon, the puj^a remaining 

 within until the following spring. Dusting the leaves 

 with lime, when wet with dew, or just after a shower, is 

 the best method with whicli I am acquainted for destroy- 

 ing the pest. 



