Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1882-06-29
THE POTATO BEETLE AND ITS DEsTRUC.
TION.

The Potato Beetle was first discovered in
the mountains OF Colorado. where it fed on
sonae wild specie of Solamane-the genus to
which the potato belongs. The beetle was
therefore known to entomologists for some
time before it became a pest to the farmer
When the fer West became settled up and
the potato was cultivated near the native
haunts of the insect. the means tor an easy
livelihood were furnished, and also a method
of comparatively rapid spreading OF the
pest. 1t was first observed as injurious to
the potato crop in 1859, since which time
the beetle has established himself through
out the potate-growing regiods of the Uni
ted States add the CanaGas.
HABITS OF THE BEETLE.
The pest nqueston is so familiar 10 many
if not to most OF those who will read this
article, that brief description will suffice.
The beetle is about half an inch in length,
and is easily recognized by the ten distinct
black lines. with yellow background, on
the upper surface of the wing covers in
fact the specific name is given in this pecnl-
iarity. namely; DoSyphora] decenslaaeata,
The whole name, when put in English,
reads The Ten-lned Spearman.'
The beetles, or perfect insects, come
from the ground in early spring. a fact well
known to many potato-groWers, who have
found them, as it has been remarked, ''stand-
ING around the hills watching and waiting
for the young potato plants to show them
selves above ground" have many times
removed the breaking crust over a hill of
plants and found as many as seventeen full
grown beetles that had reached their feed
ing ground thus early in the life of the po-
tato plant. The eggs are laid soon after the
beetles come from the ground. They are
oval. of dark orange color, and are depos-
tied in patches of ten to forty on the under
side of the potato leaves, single beetle
LAYING from 500 to 700 eggs. The grub,
..worm," or larva state is reached in about
week after the laying of the eggs. The
..worms" are of reddish color, with dou-
BILE rows of dark spots along their sides.
They eat with great rapidi,y. and il present
in considerable numbers will soon strip a
potato field of its foliage. AS the worms
increase in size they are yellowish, plump
and disgusting. In three weeks they go
into the earth and change into the Inactive
or pupa state, in which they remain for two
weeks and come out the perfect insects or
beetles.
There are three broods; the last one ap-
nears late in the fall, and the larvae enter
the soil and remain there until the following
spring.
The mischief is principally done by the
insect when in the grub state, although the
beetles are large eaters.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PEST.
This is the most important part OF the
treatment of the potato beetle. 1t is clear
that if all the beetles could be destroyed in
the spring as they issue from the grub there
would be very little further trouble. Any
means of killing off the first brood is there
fore of Importance, such as brushing them
from the vines, and burning, poisoning, etc.
In the second place, if the eggs are sought
for and destroyed the trouble of the season