BUGS. 
31 
THE SQUASH-BUG. 
If the vines of summer squash be examined at 
any time between the first of July and the first of 
October, an abundance of squash- 
bugs will usually be found. These 
will be seen in every stage of their 
existence, from egg to perfect insect. 
The squash-bug is a particularly 
good bug to begin with, on account 
of its abundance and its geographical 
range, for it is extensively distributed. 
A close study of this bug will disclose the fol¬ 
lowing facts: 
1. The head is flattened, or better, it is narrow 
from right to left. The eyes are small, but promi¬ 
nent. There are also two ocelli. The head is con¬ 
nected to the prothorax by a short neck. The beak 
is sharp and slender. 
2. The parts of the thorax are so fused together 
that it is not easy to see where they are united. 
The wings are usually folded so that their tips over¬ 
lap across the lower portion of the abdomen. They 
are rarely used for flight. The squash-bug prefers 
to run about rather than to fly. This bug has glands 
which secrete a rank-smelling fluid which is used 
probably as a means of defense. 
According to entomologists, these insects hiber¬ 
nate in crevices and other sheltered places but come 
out in June and shortly after lay their eggs and die. 
Fig. 17.-Squash- 
bug. 
