Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-07-09
THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE

ally known as the potato bug, is a
native of the United States, its home
being that section now comprising
the states OF Wyoming, Colorado and
Dakota. Here it fed upon a plant
similar to the potato-the prickly
Inight-shade. Just how long it had
lived in that section of the United
States no one knews, but it is quite
certain that it never became dis
tributed until the stream of travel
from east to west in search of gold
began, in 1849.
Why this movement seemed to
start the pest on its march toward
the east. is difficult to explain. Some
say that as its native home began
to be settled up, and its natural food
destroyed, it was forced to leave for
self preservation. BE that as it may,
! it began to spread eastward along
| in the SOS, and it found the COM
mon potato plant very much to its
liking.
In 1865, it had crossed the state
! of Iowa, doing considerable damage,
and the beetles were found in ILL
nois during the same year. In four
more years it was a familiar and
dreaded pest in Ohio, and in 1875 it
reached the Atlantic coast.
1t is interesting to note that the
insect seemed to take an airline
from Colorado to the coast. A line
drawn through Cheyenne, Omaha,
Chicago, Cleveland and New York
city represents it's course. AS it
travelled eastward, it widened it's
path to Canada on the north and the
southern states on the south.
The adult beetle is yellowish in
ground color and striped longitudin-
ally, with the 10 dark lines from
which it derives its specie name. 1t
Is stout bodied, oval in shape, and
about three-eighths of an inch long.
The eggs are round, yellow in color.
and are laid in clusters on the under
side of the leaves. The larvae or
.grubs hatch from the eggs in about
a week, and at first they are a dirty
red in color, but they take on light
er color as they grow older. The
head of the larya is very small, and
1t has a series of black dots down
each side.
The grubs feed from Is to 20 days
after which they become full grown.
Then they enter the ground and
transform to the pupa or resting
stage, which lasts only about a week.
The adult beetles emerge, begin
feeding and egg laying, and another
generation is produced, making two
broods a year. The second or last
brood adults hibernate in the ground
during the winter
This insect does an immense
amount of damage to the potato crop
each year. The crop may be de-
stroyed by the pest, and if prompt
and vigorous measures are not taken
early in the season, the yield is al
ways greatly reduced. The pest is
comparatively easy to destroy if the
control measures are properly APP
piled.
Since this insect eats the leaves
and tender stems of the potato plant,
1t may be poisoned by spraying or
busting the plants thoroughly with
Paris green or arsenate of lead.
Paris green may be used with good
results at the rate of one pound to
80 gallons of water, to which two or
three pounds of the best grade of
quicklime should be Stacked and add
ed for the purpose of neutralizing
any free arsenic that might be pres
ent and burn the leaves of the potato
plants.
For small plots of potatoes, it is
often advisable to use a dust instead
of liquid spray One part of Paris
green added to so parts of air
slaked lime or powdered land plaster
or wheat flour, makes a very effect
I've dust spray when applied during
the morning while the leaves are
damp. A tin can, the bottom of
which has been perforated with
holes, makes very good and con-
venient buster.
Arsenate of lead paste should be
used at a strength of three or four
pounds to so gallons of water. It is
also advisable to use pound of
quicklime for every pound of arsen-
ate of lead. The lime should be
Islaked into a milk of lime, and add
ed to the spray barrel The arsen-
ate of lead is not as apt to burn the
plants as the Paris green, but it is
we'll to have the neutralizinr agent
present. Arsenate of lead sticks to
the foliage better after rains tbao