198 



The Asparagus Beetle. 



The eggs are brown, long, and somewhat cylindrical, being 

 glued by their ends to the plants, usually in rows of three to 

 five, but frequently they are placed singly. Larvae come 

 forth in from eight to ten days, and immediately begin to 

 feed upon the asparagus. The larval stage lasts for fourteen 

 days, or for about this period, when the larvae fall to the earth 

 and undergo transformation just beneath its surface in a 

 slight cocoon. The number of broods appears to depend 

 upon the weather and the supply of food. Beetles and larvae 

 are frequently found upon the plants until the middle of 

 October. 



The larva (Fig. 2), which is about the fifth of an inch in 

 length when extended, is of a dark olive -green colour, and 

 usually has a black mark upon its back. It is thick, fleshy, 

 and somewhat slim^y, with a shiny black head and three pairs 

 of shiny black legs ; the lower end of its body is unusually 

 prolonged to help locomotion and to enable the larva to cling 

 to the stems and shoots of the asparagus. There are also two 

 rows of tubercles along the body, which have the appearance 

 of rudimentary pro-legs. 



It has not been definitely decided whether this insect 

 hibernates in this country in beetle or pupal form, but the 

 evidence tends to show that here, and in other European 

 countries, it exists during the winter in the latter form. The 

 majority of the American entomologists, including Fitch and 

 Lintner, hold that the winter is passed in beetle form. Dr. 

 Lintner says : — "The beetles destined to continue the species 

 survive the winter in dry sheltered places, as beneath bark, in 

 crevices of wood, and under the boards of buildings.'' 



If hibernation takes place in the pupal form in England, 

 the transformation takes place very early, as the beetles 

 attack asparagus plants directly they shoot, and before the 

 heads are above the ground, and, as is well known, asparagus 

 begins to shoot after the first two or three warm days in 

 spring. 



Methods of Prevention and Remedies. 



In the first stages of this attack, that is, when the beetles 

 are underground and feeding upon the juicy parts of the 

 heads of the asparagus as they are formed, it is difficult to 



