36 IMPORTANT AND FAMILIAR INSECTS 
adults crawl out of the ground and the females lay their 
orange-colored eggs on the under side of the leaves of the 
early potatoes. In about a week or ten days the eggs hatch 
and the larvae eat ravenously. In two or three weeks the 
larvae reach their full size. They make their way into the 
ground, where they pupate for two weeks or longer, depending 
on the temperature. At the end of the resting stage, they 
emerge as adults and the females lay their eggs on the late 
potatoes for a second genera¬ 
tion. The eggs hatch into 
larvae, the larvae pupate in the 
ground, and the adults emerge 
in the fall. At the beginning 
of the cold weather the adults 
enter the ground and hiber¬ 
nate through the winter. 
24. Natural Enemies. — It 
is fortunate that the potato 
beetle has so many natural 
enemies. Adult lady beetles, 
popularly called “ ladybugs,” 
and their larvae kill many of 
them. The ta china-flies lay 
eggs on the potato beetle larvae 
and the young tachina-flies in 
the form of larvae burrow into 
the bodies of the beetle larvae, killing them in great numbers. 
Toads and snakes are enemies of the potato beetle and they 
take a heavy toll of them. The skunk is another enemy 
of the potato beetle, while crows, rose-breasted grosbeaks, 
pheasants, and quail destroy them in great numbers. 
25. Life History of the Monarch Butterfly. — The mon¬ 
arch butterflies arrive in the Northern States from the South, 
usually in June. Very soon the females lay eggs on the 
different kinds of milkweeds. The eggs hatch in a few days, 
Figure 20. — Monarch Butterfly. 
It is here seen feeding on the 
flower of the red clover. What is 
it eating ? 
