46 
House & Garden 
CONTROL 
OF INSECTS 
AND 
DISEASES 
Insect ob 
Disease 
Identification 
■When to Look For 
Attacks 
Control 
In the Vegetable Garden 
Aphis or “plant 
louse” 
Asparagus beetle 
Caterpillar, green 
Cucumber beetle 
Cut-worms 
Flea beetle 
Thrip 
Melon louse 
Onion thrip 
Potato beetle 
Root maggot 
Squash bug 
( stink” bug) 
White grub 
White fly 
Tomato worm 
Blight 
Mildew 
Leaf spot or rot 
Rust 
Small, green or black, soft bodied flies 
about 1/16" long, congregating in 
large numbers. 
Active, yellow spotted beetle, .)4" long. 
Smooth, light green caterpillar, J4"-1'' 
long; small white or yellow butterflies. 
Small, very active, black and yellow 
striped beetle, 54" or so long. 
Sluggish, fat, brown soil worm, to 
2" long with stripe along side; works 
at night. 
Minute, black, active jumping bettle. 
Very minute, cause yellowish appear¬ 
ance or twisted leaves. ■ 
Small green aphis. See Aphis. 
Minute, active, whitish insect barely 
visible to the naked eye, lodging 
especially down between leaves. 
Common striped beetle or bug 54" long. 
Small white worm or grub 54” to 54" 
long. 
Dull black, flat, very active beetle with 
long legs, often moving backwards or 
sideways when disturbed; 54” to 54" 
long- 
Large, soft, white, repulsive grub or 
worm, feeding on roots under ground; 
54" to 154" long. 
Minute, tenacious, white winged fly, 
congregating in large numbers until 
disturbed. 
Large, green horned worm, often sev¬ 
eral inches long. 
Usually a yellowing or spotting of the 
leaves, progressing very, rapidly. 
Whitish coating or spotting of the foli¬ 
age, spreading rapidly. 
Spots in leaves, stems, or fruit turning 
brown or black. 
“Rusting” or yellowing of foliage or 
stalks. 
Throughout season, especially on half- 
grown plants and in dry weather; on 
under side of leaves. 
June-Aug., especially on new growth. 
Late May until September, two broods. 
Through season, especially as vines be¬ 
gin to run, and in dry weather. 
Through season, mostly April to June, 
cutting off young plants and seed¬ 
lings. Dig around cut-off plant. 
Mostly in May and June on seedlings; 
leaves punctured. 
Throughout season, especially on neg¬ 
lected or backward plants. 
Throughout season, usually first in May 
or June; leaves curl up abnormally. 
Through season, especially June to 
August; onion tops twisted and 
curled, prematurely yellow. 
Through season, first on earliest sprout¬ 
ing potatoes; three broods. 
Through season; first indication wilting 
of plants without apparent cause. 
Usually appears first late in June, re¬ 
maining until cold weather. Young 
hatched from brown eggs on under 
side of leaves; resemble large aphis. 
Through season; especially numerous in 
newly plowed sod ground and moist 
places. 
Through warm season, especially under 
dry or overcrowded conditions; prev¬ 
alent in frames or greenhouses. 
From mid-summer to_ early fall; strips 
foliage clean, conspicuous inroads. 
Throughout season, especially in muggy 
weather and low, closed places. 
Favoring conditions same as for blight; 
also crowded foliage. 
Throughout season, especially in warm 
weather after rainy spells. 
Through season, especially late June to 
August. 
Cabbage, cauliflower, 
lettuce, peas, etc. 
Asparagus foliage. 
Cabbage, cauliflower, 
etc. 
Cucumbers, melons 
and vine crops. 
Especially cabbage, 
cauliflower and to¬ 
mato plants. 
Potatoes, tomato, cab¬ 
bage group, turnips. 
Onions and leeks. 
Melons, cucumbers 
and other curcu- 
bits; strawberries. 
Onions and leeks. 
Potatoes, egg - plants, 
tomatoes. 
Onions, cabbage, caul¬ 
iflower, turnips, etc. 
Squash, pumpkins 
and other vine 
crops. 
Strawberries especial¬ 
ly; also corn, po¬ 
tatoes, etc. 
Tomato, cucumber, 
etc. 
Tomato and tobacco 
mostly. 
Potatoes, beans, cel¬ 
ery, cucumber, etc. 
Cucumbers, melons, 
lima beans, etc. 
Tomatoes, beans and 
many others. 
Various vegetables, 
especially celery, 
beans', asparagus; 
Contact spray, two or three applications, at inter¬ 
vals of a week or ten days, especially against 
under side of foliage, and on folding leaves. 
Arsenate of lead; cut and burn stalks in fall. 
Arsenate of lead or Paris green before heads 
form; later, hellebore. 
Arsenate of lead with Bordeaux mixture. Screen 
young plants and sprinkle with tobacco dust. 
Poison bait- before planting, and give plants pro¬ 
tection with 4" paper bands 1" in soil; also 
hand picking. 
Bordeaux mixture and arsenate of lead; tobacco 
dust on seedlings. 
Thorough, forceful spraying with kerosene emul¬ 
sion or with nicotine. ' 
Carefully remove, bury or burn infested parts 
of plants; spray as for aphis. 
Nicotine spray forcibly applied; kerosene emul¬ 
sion. 
Spray or dust with arsenate of lead or Paris 
green; hand picked from egg-plant. 
Protect cabbage group with tarred paper guards; 
poison paper for adult_ flies before laying eggs; 
burn infested plants; nitrate of soda to stimulate 
growth. 
Trap old bugs under shingles and destroy; spray 
young with nicotine or kerosene emulsion; 
screen young plants. 
Plowing late in fall; summer following; trapping 
adults (May beetles); destroying grubs and re¬ 
setting affected plants. 
Spray with nicotine or kerosene emulsion for 
young, which resemble lice on under sides of 
leaves; tobacco dust as a repellent. 
Arsenate of lead; hand picking into can or pail, 
and late fall plowing. 
Spray with Bordeaux at or before first signs and 
repeat frequently to keep all growth covered. 
Spray with Bordeaux every week or ten days. 
Bordeaux mixture, removing surplus foliage, and 
in the case of fruits that touch. 
Avoid working when foliage is wet; successive 
sprayings , with Bordeaux. On maturing celery 
use ammoniacal solution of copper carbonate. 
In the Fruit Garden 
.^pple aphis 
Bright green aphis. 
Throughout season, especially on the 
sides of new leaves. 
Apples, peaches, 
plums. 
Dormant spray before leaves come out; nicotine 
spray on voting foliage. 
Blister mite 
Small mite causing leaf blisters turning 
from light green to red and brown. 
Throughout season. 
Pear and apple. 
Strong miscible oil or kerosene emulsion spray; 
just before leaves come out and again in fall. 
Bud moth 
Light brown catterpillar, head and legs 
dark. 
Early in spring before buds open. 
Especially apple buds. 
Arsenate of lead when leaves appear, before buds 
open. 
Caterpillar, tent 
Striped caterpillars in large masses in 
webs or “tents.” 
Early in spring; “tents’^ at first in* 
conspicuous, gradually enlarged. 
Apple, cherry, and 
other trees. 
Destroy egg masses in winter; wipe out tents as 
soon as visible with kerosene smudge in spring. 
Arsenate of lead spray for matured worms. 
Canker worm 
A “measuring worm,” 1" or more in 
length. 
The “mother” of wormy apples; moth 
is small and chocolate colored;_ worm 
hatches on the outside, usually in blos¬ 
som end, and eats in; about 154” long. 
May and June. 
Apple. 
Arsenate of lead, when worms appear; band trunks 
in Marcli or early April. 
Coddling moth 
In spring and early summer. 
Apple. 
Spray with arsenate of lead just before petals fall, 
before calix closes; ten days later and again in 
about four weeks; band trunks during July. 
Curculio 
Small, grayish beetle, 3/16" to about 
54" long. Back mottled black and 
white; has a conspicuous “snout.” 
In early summer when fruits are be¬ 
ginning to form; another generation 
in August. 
Injures young fruits 
by puncturing them 
to eat and lay eggs; 
Spray with lime sulphur and strong arsenate of 
lead; for best results jar trees every cool morn¬ 
ing, and catch beetles on sheet spread beneath. 
Currant worm 
Green worm with black spots about 1" 
long. 
Before blossoms open, usually first on 
lower leaves. 
apples, peach, plum. 
Currant and goose¬ 
berry. 
Spray with arsenate of lead until fruit forms; 
after that, hellebore. 
Leaf hopper 
Small, slim, yellowish hoppers with 
blunt heads. 
Through season, indicated by leaves 
turning brown and drying up; “hop¬ 
pers” working on the under side. 
Apple and grapes. 
Spray under side of leaves with strong kerosene 
emulsion. 
Scale, San Jose 
Minute, yellowish, sucking insects cov¬ 
ered with small shell or scale, the 
size of a pin-head; presence indicated 
by gray scurvy appearance of bark, 
and minute red rimmed spots on fruit. 
Throughout season: multiplies with ex¬ 
traordinary rapidity. 
Apple and other fruit 
trees. 
Dormant sprays in early spring or fall, using lime 
sulphur, miscible oil or kerosene emulsion. 
Scale, oyster shell 
Dark brown scale like elongated oyster 
shell about 54” in length, the young 
resembling active whitish lice. 
Throughout season, young hatching in 
May or early June. 
Apple and other fruit 
trees. 
Same as for San Jose; also nicotine or kerosene 
emulsion as soon as young hatch. 
Spray with lime sulphur before blossoms open, 
after blossoms fall, and two weeks later; burn 
leaves and twigs in fall. 
Spray with Bordeaux till mid-July; then am- 
Scab, apple 
Causes dark colored spots on leaves or 
fruit. 
Throughout season, spreads most dur¬ 
ing spring. 
Apple and pear. 
Rot, black 
Fruits turn purplish brown and become 
shriveled. 
Summer; especially after wet weather 
and where tall weeds or grass are 
left near the vines. 
Grapes. 
moniacal solution copper carbonate; for few 
vines bunches may be covered with paper bags; 
dormant spray with lime' sulphur or miscible oil; 
gather fallen fruit and burn. 
In the Flower Garden 
Aphis (plant- 
louse) 
Similar to those attacking vegetables- 
described above. 
See-aphis above. 'Where foliage is thick, 
in axils of leaves or growing tips. 
Roses, sweet peas and 
most soft-wooded 
plants. 
Nicotine spray; kerosene emulsion. 
Aster beetle 
Active, long-legged beetle, 54” to 54” 
in length, eating flowers and foliage. 
Appears in numbers, August and Sep¬ 
tember. 
Asters preferably, and 
some other flowers. 
Strong arsenate of lead spray ; knock bugs in early 
morning into can of kerosene and water. 
Mealy bug 
Small, soft-bodied insect covered with 
small cotton-like specks. 
Congregates in leaf axils throughout sea- 
• son; most likely on neglected plants 
in frames or on porches. 
Soft-wooded plants 
and new growth on 
some hard-wooded 
plants such as 
fuchsias. 
Nicotine spray or paint with strong kerosene 
emulsion, alcohol. 
Rose beetle 
Yellowish, active, crawling beetle ^ 2 ^^ 
or more long with long hooked legs. 
Throughout season, especially May to 
July, when plants are in bloom. 
Roses mostly. 
Arsenate of lead or Paris green extra strong; 
hand picking into kerosene and water most 
effective. 
Mildew 
Powdery, dirty white deposit on leaves. 
Through season, especially after sudden 
chanees in temperature. 
Roses and some 
others. 
Prune infected parts; dust with _ flowers of sul¬ 
phur; thin sufficiently for free circulation of air. 
Leaf spot; rust 
See above. 
Throughout season. 
Asters, carnations, etc. 
Spray with Bordeaux. Keep new growth covered. 
For Notes on this Table, see Page 44. 
