162 



INJURIOUS INSECTS AND FUNGI. 



[Sept. 1896. 



Upon many of the bines there were exudations of sap, looking 

 like drops of dew or rain, but examination showed that it was 

 sap issuing from punctures made by insects, and evidently by 

 the Hop Bug, Calocoris fulvomaculatus, for many could be found 

 upon the hop plants though they were not often seen at work, 

 as they move directly the poles are approached, and dodge 

 round and round to avoid inspection. It is not the shadow of 

 the intruder that warns them, but they seem to feel instinctively 

 that he is present, and get out of sight as quickly as possible. 



Serious harm was done in many plantations. The growth of 

 the bine was completely checked, and it was so weakened that 

 it was not able to bear the attacks of aphides so well as 

 strong and healthy plants. 



It is a feature of this infestation that the hop bine trained 

 on cocoa-nut fibre strings and upon wires was not infested by 

 these insects. They evidently do not like the sharp points of 

 the fibre and the smoothness of the wires ; while at night and in 

 bad weather these do not supply the shelter afforded by the 

 cracks and holes in the poles. Poles also serve as resorts for 

 the hibernation of the insects, and therefore it would be expected 

 that the infestation of hop grounds, poled in the old-fashioned 

 manner, would be much greater than in " wire/' or " string work," 

 independently of the evident objection on the part of the bugs 

 to string and wire. 



The larva of the hop bug is about the fourth of an inch in 

 length. In colour the thorax and body are mainly light, varying 

 to dark brown with greenish shades ; the abdomen is greenish 

 with red borders. The head has a deep brown, almost a bronze 

 hue ; the antennas have four joints ; the top of the second joint is 

 black for some distance, and the lower end of the third joint is 

 yellow. The rostrum is yellow, very long, and has a black tip. 

 It is composed of a case with a groove open in front as far as the 

 short black tip. In this groove a long siphon, or tube, attached 

 to the head, moves and works. When the end of this siphon, 

 or sucking apparatus, is inserted into the bines, and the insect 

 is sucking up sap, the case is bent nearly at right angles to the 

 tube, leaving this quite exposed, except at the black tip which 

 guides and supports it, and in which it works. Hop bugs in con- 

 finement were supplied with pieces of hop bine, which they at 

 once attacked, so that the action of the rostrum was frequently 

 witnessed. 



The pupa resembles the larva except that the pupa has 

 rudimentary wing cases, which become more developed after 

 successive moults. By the middle of June the perfect insects 

 are abundant. They do not at first use their wings readily, and 

 continue feeding, and dodging round the poles in the same way 

 as the larvae and pupa3, but afterwards they fly away at once on 

 being disturbed. In general colour the perfect insect is light or 

 yellowish brown, covered with golden coloured hairs. Its head 

 is black, with yellow antennae, having parts of some of the 



