Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-10-22
For the Freeman.
a CIai With Farmers.
BY AGRICOLA.
ABOUT NoXIoUs INSECTS. .

The blistering beetle is of service to the
medical profession when dead, but is Il
pest while living. Spanish flies live in
he south of Europe. In Spain and Italy
especially they are collected in great num-
bers for expectation. They appear in
immense swarms on their favorte plants,
and strip them of all their foliage. And
the species of this beetle found in this
country is also very destructive to the
leaves of plants They, in common with
the darkling beetles, meal beetles, mush-
room beetles, flat-back beetles and their
kind, have only four joints in the hind
most pair of feet. while the first and mid
die pairs have five Joints. These are timd
insects, as they have no power to blister
until they are dead.
Four Of our native species are rs good
us he foreign kind for medicinal purposes,
Two or three kinds of these beetles have
sometimes taken to the potato field for a
living. These are called potato flies, but
they have thus far confined their ravages
o the middle and western states, where
they appear in great numbers.
The large blisterng beetle is found on
the trailing plant used for covering arbors,
and this plant is often stripped of It's leaves
during the month of August.
A more slender kind are found in Mass
achuselts where they have done much
damage to vegetation. About the first of
August they go into the ground and lay
their eggs, which ARE Matched in the
course of one month. The larva are slen-
der and of yelowish color, banded with
black, with ii reddish head and six legs.
These grubs are very active in their mo-
tons.
For some weeks in mid summer a Jet
black kind of the blisterng beetle are seen
on potato vines and on various species of
the golden rod. which is their favorite
food and they make fearful ravagcs
wherever they live. These are also col
lected for medicinal uses. The dark col
ored are totally black, without bands or
spots, and are nearly a half inch in length,
These beetles are captured by brushing
from the vine into pan or pail contain
ing water. When their wings are wet,
they are unable to fly, and hence they may
he held after they are taken Another
way of taking them is by gently sweeping
the plants with a deep muslin bag-net;
then kill them by immersion in scalding
water. Now if we desire to turn over
their remains to the medical operators,
they would be spread out on sheet of PIT
per to dry. 1t is n relief to know that
these noxious creatures can be made use
full. 1t is a pity that all offensive creatures
cannot be made of some account either
before or after death but, in most cases,
/ how horn RI Torment tIn 1ivuS #
Oil beetles belong to the blistering
genus. They have large heart, head
and small thorax. Their body is egg-I
shaped and so enormously large that it
drags on the ground whenever the insect
attempts to walk. They have no wings,
and hence are not responsible for not be-
ing able to fly. These beetles eat the
leaves of various kinds of butter cups, yet
they do not commit depredations so extern
sively as other kinds. 1t may be, on the
whole. true that these honorably pay for
their living by the value of their IRE
mains" after they die. Their special
lame, naelG, is derived from the fact of
their black or blue-black color.
And finally, there is narrow-necked
oil beetle. This has II dark, indigo color, |
a narrow thoraX, with antenn@ curiously |
twisted and knotted in the middle. /
speak especially of the male. He is near,
ly an inch in length.
All the insects that have been mention
ed compose but small proportion OF this
one order which are injurious to vcgeta-
ton. We have named those that are the
most notorious for their ravages. Several
species remain to be treated in a similar
way for the purpose Of making their
habits known.