3-28 



Beneficial Insects. 



The beetle (i) comes from its winter quarters in the spring 

 when the sun begins to shine with some power. It roams from 

 plant to plant, living on fungus spores, pollen, and aphides, 

 and lays eggs upon the under sides of the leaves of infested 

 plants. The eggs, which are long, cylindrical, and yellow, 

 are set on end in groups of from seven to nine. In about 

 eight days the larvae (2) come out ; they are called " niggers " 

 in many places, because they look black, but on close observa- 

 tion it will be found that they are slate-coloured, and have a 

 yellow tinge and some scarlet spots upon their backs. Directly 

 they come from the eggs they commence feeding upon aphides 

 near them. When fully grown they are rather more than a 

 quarter of an inch long. After feeding for about seventeen 

 days, during which they devour incredible quantities of 

 aphides, they change to black pupae (3) with orange-coloured 

 spots, which are firmly attached to the under-sides of leaves. 

 The pupal state lasts about thirteen or fourteen days, when 

 the perfect ladybird appears. There are several generations 

 if the season is fine and food is plentiful. At the end of the 

 season the ladybirds seek shelter in houses, granaries, barns, 

 and outhouses, in the interstices of walls, the cracks of 

 palings, posts, and hop-poles, and under the bark of trees- 

 Generally they are found congregated together, probably for 

 the sake of warmth. At the end of the summer, swarms of 

 these little beetles may be seen in the air, or on the sides of 

 houses and other buildings, previous to hibernation. It need 

 hardly be said that they should be encouraged in every 

 possible way, as they are in France and Germany, where 

 they are regarded as the best friends of the cultivators. In the 

 former country they are called Betes a bon Dieu, Betes de la 

 Vierge, and in Germany Marienkdferchen. 



Syrphid.^. 



I, Syrphiis ribesii, male ; 2, larva ; 3, pupa ; 4, Catabo'mba pyrastri^ female. 

 All natural size. 



