The Asparagus Beetle. 



19; 



Life History* 



The beetle (Fig. 1) is about a quarter of an inch long and 

 comparatively narrow in width. Its body is shiny black, with 

 a blue tinge; its head is black; its ten-jointed antennae are 

 dark brown ; its thorax is red, with two black marks or lines 



1. Beetle, line showing natural size ; 2. Larva, magnified ; 3. Egg, magnified ; 

 4. Asparagus plant. 



upon it ; and its wing-cases have outer margins of orange- 

 colour and black inner margins, and there is a transverse bar 

 of black across them. Upon each wing-case there is a row 

 of three yellowish or lemon-yellowish spots, or patches, 

 which, with the transverse bar and the black margins, form 

 the figure of a cross, hence the beetle is termed " Cross- 

 bearer" (the French call it " Porte-Croix "-). 



Eggs are laid by the beetles in the early spring upon the 

 heads, shoots, and feathery foliage of the asparagus plants. 



