730 Report OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST OF THE 
orange band which is broadest at the posterior border. Three 
lemon-yellow spots are conspicuous on each wing cover. There is 
considerable variation in these, however. The body beneath is 
black, also the legs, except for an orange-yellow ring at the base 
of each tibia andfemur. The ring is much broader in the former. 
Plate IV represents the insect in all stages from the egg to the 
adult with the exception of the pupa. Also the peculiar shape of 
the last tarsal joint. 
It may be of interest to note that the asparagus beetle belongs 
to the same family as the well-known striped cucumber beetle 
and the Colorado potato beetle. 
Life-History. 
The beetles may be found hibernating during the winter in 
various out-of-the-way places. As soon as the asparagus shoots 
are up in the spring the beetles appear and begin feeding on 
them, and the females deposit their eggs on the exposed portions 
of the shoots. According to Dr. Lintner* the eggs hatch in 
about eight days and the larve, which are very voracious eaters, 
are full grown in about 12 days. They then leave the plant and 
go into the ground to construct slight cocoons from which they 
emerge in about 10 days, thus taking about 30 days to complete 
the life cycle. Several broods appear during the season. The 
larvee and beetles are quite abundant near Queens August 4, and 
again in the same field they were observed soon after the 1st 
of September. As late as October a full-grown larva and several 
beetles were found at Glen Cove. Both larva and beetles being 
on a neglected seed-stem. 
Remedies, 
Although this insect feeds openly, it is still a very difficult one 
to handle, and, so far as I am able to learn, comparatively little 
success has yet attended all efforts to effectually control it. Mr. 
Fleet, of Cutchogue, L. 1, writes that the farmers in his vicinity 
use Paris green when the insects occur on their new beds. The 
poison may be mixed with lime or plaster and thoroughly dusted 
over the beds. In old beds where the asparagus is grown for 
market, this treatment is not recommended. 
*First Annual Report on the Injurious and Other Insects of the State of New York, p. 244. 
