666 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW YORK 
ASPARAGUS BEETLE. THE PUPA AND ITS COCOON. THE BEETLE. ITS HABITS. 
earth to repose during their pupa state. But it may he that they merely 
crawl under any mass of dead leaves and bits of straws which they find lying 
on the surface.of the ground. This is rendered probable by Mr. Young’s 
observations. He put several of the larvae into a tumbler, with netting tied 
over it to prevent their escape, supplying them with fresh asparagus from 
time to time. They finally went down to the bottom of the tumbler and dis¬ 
appeared under the mass of dry withered leaves and branches which had 
accumulated there. Upon raising this mass from the tumbler, the insects 
were found to be inclosed in slight cocoons which they had spun, and which 
adhered to the under side of the rubbish when it was elevated. As some of 
these completed their transformations, it shows that it is not essential for them 
to enter the ground to pass their pupa state. 
In about thirty days from the time the egg is laid the insect grows to matu¬ 
rity and comes out in its perfect form, when it appears as represented in the 
foregoing cut at a. The time will be shorter, no doubt, in the hottest part of 
the season in July and August, than in the cooler days of May and June. 
How long it lives, to be eating the asparagus, after it attains its perfect form, 
is not known. One of the beetles, fed in confinement, lived a fortnight, but 
how long it had been hatched from its pupa before it was imprisoned was not 
known. The females probably live much longer than the males, this being 
the case with insects generally. As it occurs to notice upon the asparagus, 
the two sexes are usually seen paired. They feed upon the bark, eating 
irregular oval or oblong holes through it, lengthwise of the stalks, and vary¬ 
ing in size from about an eighth to a quarter of an inch in length. These 
holes are most numerous towards the top of the stalks and on the branches, 
where, frequently, nearly the whole of the bark is consumed. The beetles 
are very shy and timorous, whereby we are never able to see them in the act 
of eating. As you approach, the guilty culprit always slips around to the 
opposite side of the stalk, to hide himself from being noticed. And if the 
stalk is taken hold of to turn him around into view he drops to the ground 
and pretends to be dead, lying perfectly still. You think he is now playing 
off his last dodge upon you, and that you have finally got him where you can 
turn him over and deliberately inspect him before you crush him. But theso 
thoughts only have time to flash across your mind before the creature takes 
wing and flies away so suddenly that ere you are aware of it he is gone out of 
your reach. 
In its perfect state the Asparagus Beetle is a beautiful insect, of an oblong form, its length 
very slightly exocoding twice its width. It measures a little less than a quarter of an inoh, its 
average length being 0.22, but different Individuals vary somewhat in their sire. It is highly 
polished and shining, of a blue-black color, frequently with a tingo of green. The head and 
thorax are narrower than the hind body, and have numerous punctures. The head shows a fur¬ 
row on its middle, above the insertion of the antennae. The antennse reach tho base of the wing- 
covers, and are coarse, thread-like, with the three joints following tho basal ono somowhat smallor 
and shining, tho remaining joints being opake and brownish black. Tho thorax is slightly oon- 
vex and bright tawny rod. Frequently a discolored cloud appears in its conter, which in many 
individuals becomes darker, forming two black spots, and theso spots arc sometimes moro or los* 
united. The wing-covers are coarsely punctured in rows. They are broadly bordered on their 
outer sides with orange yellow, which color is widened at the tips, whore, on tho edge of the 
future, is a slender blue-black lino. Along tho middlo of each wing-cover is a row of three lemon 
