Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-06-23
The Colorado Potato Beetle in Mas
sachusetts,
BY A. s. PACKARD, JR.

Mr.. b. II. Walsh, State Entomologist of
Illinois, that it would reach the Atlantic
Ocean in 1880. | have received speci-
mems taken during the past summer, at
Winchendon, eighteen miles west of
Boston, and practically on the sea coast.
The rapidity with which this beetle
found its way into Massachusetts from
Illinois, is astonishing. While in Am
herst in September last l visited the
farm of Mr.. l.. W. Goodell in Belcher-
town, and examined, through the kind
ness OF the owner, potato field in
which there were thousands of these in
sects in the advanced larval state, with
numerous beetles, all busily engaged in
devouring the leaves. The suddenness
OF their appearance was noteworthy.
Mr.. Goodell informs me (and as this
gives good account of the first appear
ance of the Do4gphora 10-i,.eata in this
State, l quote his letter. that "a single
larva of the Colorado potato beetle was
found July 10, and was apparently the
last one of brood, as several hills of
potatoes near We're entirely denuded of
foliage, and | could find no others, or
signs Of any in that or other fields of
potatoes in the vicinity although |
searched carefully. The one taken was
placed in box of earth it immedi-
ately buried itself, and transformed to a
beetle eleven days thereafter. About
this time found and killed some fifty
of the beetles on the same potato patch,
which were probably part of the same
brood. No more of the larvae were seen
for about three weeks, when they made
their appearance in large numbers in
several fields"
As contirmatory of these observations
Mr.. Isaac l.. Ham of Winchendon,
wrote me that these beetles and their
larye appeared on his potato vines
about the goth of July; there were
eggs then on the under side of the leaves,
of yellow color, laid in rows. / have
about one acre in potatoes, and they
have eaten about three-fourths of them"
If any one else has observed this bee
tie in New England he would do the
writer favor to send him any informa-
tion about the circumstances Of its first
appearance. Until we have more def
mite information from different parts of
New England, we shall indulge in the
surmise that the beetle was an inhabit-
ant Of southern and western New Eng
land in 1874.
How was it introduced +? Railroads
are the most ready means of introdue-
ing noxious weeds and insects. The i'm
ported cabbage-butterfy is case in
point. In 1857, it was known to have
been imported to Quebec; since then it
has entered New England and New
York by the Grand Trunk and the 9th
er railroads leading from Montreal to
Vermont and New York. 1t is not i'm
probable that the potato beetle was
brought by freight trains from the West,
rather than that it made its way, unaid-
ed, eastward.
AT any rate, the potato beetle is upon
US. 1t has invaded the land of the Pu-
ritan, and the year 1876 will witness its
wholesale ravages in New England.
That it will be grievously destructive in
its visitation is most probable, and un-
less farmers become acquainted with its
appearance, and learn to distinguish it
in all its four phases of existence, as
egg, grub or larva, pupa and beetle and
acquaint themselves with its habits. they
will suffer greatly.
A summary of its habits is as follows
The insect having passed the winter in
the pupa or chrysalis state, a few inches
below the surface of the ground, appears
soon after the potatoes comes up, in the
beetle state, and then lays cluster of
yellowish, cylindrical, rather large eggs
on the under side Of the leaves. From
these eggs in a few days, hatch little
pale yellow fat grubs, with often deep
reddish tlnge, and row of black dots
along the side Of the body. They grow
rapidly, moult their skin few times,
become mature, and descending to the
earth burrow into the soil, and there
transform into the chrysalis state. Here
they lie in the ground for few days,
dry warm season being favorable to their
development. Soon the beetle appears,
climbs up the potato stalks, and the fe-
males soon lay their eggs. The grub
becomes beetle within month after
Matching from the egg. In Massachu-
setts it is evident that the eggs for the
second brood of beetles are laid about
the middle of July, and the pupa of a
portion of this brood hibernate, while
the majority pass into the beetle state,
being abundant during the month of
September; so that it is possible that
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