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Economic Importance of the White-Fringed Beetle 
Both the larvae and adults feed on a wide range of plants. As com- 
pared with the damage done by the larvae, the feeding of the adults on plant 
foliage is of minor importance. Where numerous, the adults may cause serious 
injury to garden and ornamental plants. The larvae have caused serious 
damage to numerous field and garden crops. The damage is exceedingly 
serious to such crops as potatoes and peanuts, where not only the stand is 
injured but the product is either destroyed or lowered in grade. It is 
reasonable to assume that the larvae and adults will attack many plants that 
are widely grown in other sections but are not grown in the area now known 
to be infested. If the amount of damage already done in the Florala area 
can be used as a valid criterion, it is apparent that the white-fringed 
beetle, if allowed to spread, may become a serious pest in many agricultural 
regions of the United States. Its large range of host plants renders 
control complicated. 
Because of the habits of the beetle, it is easily disseminated 
through commerce and other artificial means. The eggs are deposited on 
many parts of plants and other objects that move in commerce, and they may 
remain viable for more than 7 months, hatching when favorable conditions 
occur. The larvae can be transported with products which carry small 
quantities of soil. The adults readily attach themselves to many objects 
that move in commerce. The importance of the parthenogentic reproduction 
of the white-fringed beetle should not be overlooked, since it is possible 
for an infestation to be started from only one specimen of any stage. Once 
the beetle has established itself in an area, an enormous population may 
build up within a short time, since the inability of the adult to fly reduces 
the possibility of immediate wide spread by natural dissemination. 
