148 



The Colorado Beetle. 



out. Still more drastic measures have been taken in this 

 country, and it is hoped that the visitors have been totally 

 annihilated. The entire infested plot of potatoes at Tilbury 

 was burnt with paraffin, the ground soaked with the same, and 

 then heavily dressed with gas lime, which was deeply 

 ploughed in. All the surrounding herbage was cut and 

 burnt, and also dressed with gas lime. A thorough search of 

 the surrounding potato plots for a radius of miles did 

 not reveal a single specimen of the beetle. 



The fact that this serious potato pest has proved that it can 

 increase rapidly in this country makes it imperative that 

 watch should be kept, and that people should be made 

 acquainted with the appearance of this insect. 



Its Life History. 



This dreaded potato pest belongs to the genus Doryphora> 

 now also known as Leptinotarsa. This genus seems to be 

 tropical, Central America being its apparent home, although 

 some species, including the one under discussion, occur in 

 North America. 



The adult female beetle is a little under half an inch in 

 length, the male being slightly smaller than the female. In 

 colour, the beetle is yellow, with five longitudinal dark lines 

 on each wing case ; the legs are reddish with dark knee spots 

 and feet ; the yellow mesothorax has also a few dark spots 

 and a more or less irregular V-shaped mark in the middle ; the 

 wings have a peculiar rosy hue, which is particularly noticeable 

 when the beetle is flying in the sun. The adult hibernates 

 during the winter months under any rubbish it can find, but 

 especially buried beneath the surface of the ground. Its 

 general depth in the soil during the winter seems to vary 

 from a few to twenty-four inches. Riley says it has been 

 exhumed from a few inches to several feet, though its habit 

 is not to burrow deeper than ten inches. 



The beetles come from their winter quarters when the 

 weather becomes warm in spring. They are capable of flying 

 some considerable distance, especially taking wing readily in 



