INSECT ENEMIES AND FRIENDS. 



493 



be found after a little practice, 

 as they are of a dark shining 

 brown colour, skittle shaped, 

 about i-2oin. in length, and 

 stand out at right angles to 

 the leaves. The grubs, when 

 they have attained their full 

 ilin. in length, 

 black, and 

 of a greenish 

 and gradually 

 until quite 



size, are about 

 their heads 

 their bodies 

 slate colour, 

 increase in size 



/. A spat a 



ASPARAGUS 

 beetle enlarged. 



close to the tail. The beetle 

 is jin. long, the head and legs 

 are bluish black, the fore 

 body reddish brown in colour, 

 and the wing cases are yellow. 

 When closed there is a bluish 

 black central stripe, and there 

 are three spots of the same 

 colour on each wing case. 

 The chrysalis is formed in the 

 ground within a thin cocoon, 

 and there are probably two or 

 three generations in the course 

 of the year ; but as beetles, 

 eggs, and grubs are all found 

 on the plants at the same 

 time, it is almost impossible 

 to be certain on this point. 



Bell Moths, or Rose Tor- 

 trices. — Rose growers often 

 find that the leaves of their 

 Rose bushes are rolled up and 

 eaten and that the flower buds 

 are gnawed and have holes 

 made in them by the cater- 



pillarsof these small moths, of which there are several kinds. 

 They belong to the family Tortricidre, and are known by the 

 name of bell moths, on account of their shape when at 

 rest with their wings folded over their backs, as they then 

 very much resemble a bell in form. As the caterpillars 

 live in positions in which it is almost impossible to make 

 any insecticide reach them, the easiest way of killing 

 them is to crush the rolled leaf between the finger and 

 thumb, taking care that the culprit does not drop out 

 before it has received a fatal pinch, as will sometimes 

 occur as soon as the slightest pressure is felt ; perhaps a 

 more certain method is to hold a basket or box under the 

 leaves and then to cut them off with a pair of scissors ; 

 the pests can then be crushed or burnt. 

 Bulb Mite, The {Rhizoglyphus echinopus). — This mite 

 is one "I the most destructive pests when once it attacks 

 a bulb, and probably few, if any, kinds are free from its 

 attacks ; but it is most frequently found in the bulbs of 

 Eucharis Lilies, Hyacinths, Daffodils, and Amaryllis. Bulb 

 mites have also been found injuring the roots of Begonias 

 and in the lower part of the stems of Carnations. I 

 know no reason why thev should not attack any tuberous- 

 rooted plant, as the mites live between the scales of tin- 

 bulbs and at the base of the roots; it is clear that no 

 insecticide is of any use while the bulbs are in the ground, 

 and even after they have been taken up they must be 

 allowed to soak many hours in the insecticide before it can 

 reach them, as fluids will not easily pass between the 

 scales, particularly if any air be imprisoned there, as is 

 often the case. The 

 best insecticides for 

 this purpose are 3II). 

 of sulphide of potas- 

 sium dissolved in 

 I gallon of water, 

 or the extract from 

 2oz. of quassia chips 

 in 1 gallon of 

 water. Soaking 

 the bulbs in warm 

 water of 1 2ode '. 



BEETLE. 



2. Grub enlar 

 ligg enlarged. I. Sprig of Asparagus, 



showing eggs ami grubs natural size. 



■A. 



h Celpy fly. 



CELERY 

 1, Grub 



Fahr. for, say, 1511110. or 

 20min. would I believe kill 

 them, for the mites immersed 

 in water at I I S<leg. Fahr. 

 were killed in less than 5min. 

 I cannot imagine that the 

 bulbs could be injured by this 

 process. The miles are very 

 small and may easily In- 

 mistaken for grains of sand, 

 as they are of a milky white 

 colour, with brownish heads, 

 and only measure when fully 

 developed l-2oin. in length. 



Carnation Fly, The 



(Hylemyia nigrescens), — Car- 

 nations are not infrequently 

 attacked by the grubs of this 

 little fly ; it feeds on the pith 

 of the stems and is fatal to the 

 plants. No method has been 

 devised for killing this pest 

 except burning the plants. 

 If the pests are only in one 

 part of a plant it is not 

 necessary to destroy the whole 

 specimen, but unfortunately 

 they generally attack the main 

 stem. The grubs are about 

 #in. in length, legless, and 

 w hite, with dark heads. 



Caterpillars of Various 



Moths, The. -The number 

 of different kinds of cater- 

 pillars that attack the various 

 plants under cultivation is 

 very large, and it is impossible 

 here to mention them all. Probably no plants are free 

 from the attack of one kind or another. Unless a plant is 

 infested by an unusual number of them (when syringing 

 or spraying the plants with paraffin emulsion may be of 

 service), hand-picking is by far the best remedy, and 

 though at first the caterpillars may be difficult to find, 

 one's eyes soon become accustomed to the work, and then 

 lew will escape detection. When ground is being turned 

 up in the winter near plants that have been attacked by 

 these insects a good look-out should be kept for any 

 chrysalides that may be brought to light. 

 Celery Fly, The {Tephritis onopordinis). — The grubs of 

 this fly injure the leaves of Celery, Parsnips, and other 

 umbelliferous plants by feeding on the interior substance 

 ol the leaves ; the leaves of these plants towards the end 

 of the summer often have a withered and blighted 

 appearance, which is caused by the action of the grubs 

 winking their way between the skins of the leaves. On 

 holding one of the leaves so that the light shines through 

 it the position of the grub is easily seen. The grubs 

 may be found in the leaves from the middle of June 

 until the beginning of December. If the attack is 

 noticed when the leaves are quite young, a firm pinch, 

 but not hard enough to injure the leal, will kill the 

 grub. Liter on, when the injury is more extensive, the 

 entire leaf had better be cut away and burnt, as it is of 

 lillle ti^c then and will only decay before the others. 

 There is more than one brood of this insect, so that it is 

 most desirable to prevent the grubs of the first brood 



I rum undergoing 

 their t r a n s f o r m a - 

 tii ins. No insecti- 

 cides have been 

 found of any use in 

 killing the grubs, but 

 spraying or syringing 

 with some soapy 

 insecticide when the 

 flies are wanting to 

 lay their eggs is 

 useful in preventing 



FL V. 



i, Chrysalis. 



