62 



INJURIOUS INSECTS 



IntroductioD.) About the last of June (in the North- 

 ern States), these insects come out from their hiding 

 places, pair, and lay their eggs. The parent insect (fig. 

 38,) is a little over half an inch ('/^ J in length, rusty- 

 black above, and ochre-yellowish beneath. The ground 

 color of the upper parts is ochre-yellow, but concealed 

 by multitudes of minute black dots. A marked charac- 

 ter of this insect is the odor it gives off when handled or 

 disturbed; this odor has been compared to *^that of an 

 over-ripe pear," but we have never seen a pear sufficient- 

 ly over-ripe" to approach in its repulsiveness the sick- 

 ening odor given off by the Squash-bug. It 

 is one of those odors of which a very little 

 satisfies. The insects are quiet during the 

 day, but at night lay their eggs in little 

 patches ; they are of a brownish-yellow color, 

 and glued to the leaves. They soon hatch, 

 and the larva?, or young bugs, are of a pale- 

 squaI'h-bug. ash color, and of a more rounded shape 

 {Anasa t) mhs.) than the perfect insects. As they grow 

 older they moult their skins several times, forming no 

 dormant pupae, but finally assume the shape of the per- 

 fect bug. The young at first remain in small swarms or 

 clusters, near the place they were hatched, but finally 

 scatter to other leaves; in all stages they penetrate the 

 leaves with their beaks, live upon their juices, and cause 

 them to become brown, wither, and finally to die. As 

 soon as a leaf is exhausted, they pass on to fresher ones, 

 and where numerous, the insects are very destructive. 



Kemedies. — ^s"one of our injurious insects is more 

 readily kept under control than this by hand-picking. If 

 one familiar with the appearance of the bug, will exam- 

 ine the young vines and the ground beneath them, those 

 that come from their winter quarters may be found and 

 destroyed before they have laid their eggs. Next the 

 eggs, which are conspicuous upon the underside of the 



