Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-12
Controlling a Serious Garden Pest

-CuHperS IN their gardens or grow
them commercially are more or less
familiar with the ravages of what is
commonly known as the striped GU
cumber beetle. 1t is the most i'm
portant enemy not only Of the GU
cumber but of the melon, squash
pumpkin and other related crops as
we'll. This beetle goes by various
names. 1t is sometimes called the
striped bug and at other times the
melon bug. It frequently attacks the
plants just when they appear above
ground. 1t damages the tender
stems and leaflets and does serious
damage to young. plants. 1t also at
-tacks the fruits, marking them in a
manner which makes many of them
unmarketable.
The larvae, or young worms, do
great damage underground. This
beetle is also the carrier of bacte-
rial wilt of cucurbits. 1t is therefore
one of the most serious pests with
which the trucker and gardener have
to deal.
:. AS with all insects, the striped
cucumber beetle passes through four
stages: the egg, the worn, the pupa,
and the adult beetle. The beetle 1T
cself is about one-fifth of an men
long and not over half as wide. 1t Is
yellow above, with black head and
black stripes running lengthWlse
along each wing cover. The egg is
about one-fourtieth of an inch IN
length and about half as wide, and is
q bright yellow or orange in colcr.
The larva is a slender, white, WORM
like creature, three-tenths OF an men
in length.
This pest is found in all parts OF
the United States east of the Rocky
Mountains. It is particularly trou-
.blesome in the southeastern states,
where our unusually long mild eli
mate enables it to develop advan-
tageously. The beetle makes its ap-
pearance ordinarily in April or pos
sibly earlier. The remales lay their
eggs in groups, the average number
being from 400 to 500. The eggs
hatch in one to two weeks. The lar
val period lasts FROM two to five
weeks. The entire life cycle, there
fore, covers from five to eight weeks,
and there maybe three or four broods
year in the south. This insect hi
bernates during the &. winter under
vines, leaves and abandoned fruits
of the cucurbits. This insect has
some natural enemies, but they are
not serious factors in mitigating its
numbers.
The control of the striped cucum-
Der beetle may be effected in several
ways. The first effort Should be d.
rected towards the use of proven
tative methods. In the small garden
young plants may be covered with
wire netting. Whatever is used must
be light, portable, and admit plenty
Of light and air to the plants and be
capable of easy adjustment to the
ground at every point so as to pre-
vent the beetles from burrowing
underneath. This method of plant
protection is only practicable in the
small garden.
Another method is to plant an ex-
cess of seed. A succession of plant
ings will also sometimes be Of ad-
vantage. Occasionally the first plant
ing may be sacrificed, and sometimes
even the second. Clean culture and
the use of trap plants is good prac-
tice.
All straw and trash in and about
the fields and fence rows should be
destroyed, and all material in the
garden should be gathered up and
disposed of. If as soon as the crop
is harvested, for instance, all the
vines and fruits are raked together
and sprayed with strong solution of
kerosene emulsion many beetles can
be. destroyed. This will greatly
diminish the number living over to
another year. Beans can often be
planted ahead of cucumbers. The
beetles will congregate thereon.
Sometimes beans may be used as a
late crop for trapping this pest as
we'll
The principal protection against
this pest will be found in the use of
insecticides. For this purpose the
arsenical materials such as lead
arsenate, sine arsenate or calcium
arsenate mixed with sifted wood
ashes, road dust, or land plaster
When the beetles concentrate on the
sprayed plants they are killed by
the poison. Arsenate of lead is a
good material to use In the form of
a spray. TWO pounds of the dry or
powdered arsenate should be mixed
with 25 gallons of water. Weaker
sprays than this may be used at
first, but stronger sprays can never
be applied without danger of dam
age to the plants. Arsenate of lead
has the following advantages to
recommend it as compared with
10 less soluble and therefore not so
likely to harm young plants, 1t ad-
heres more strongly to the foliage
and hence is less likely to be wash
ed off by rain ;and it's greatest
value lies in the fact that it leaves
white coating on the foliage so
that it is easy to determine its
presence or absence after spraying.
Some soap can often be used in
making up sprays of this material
with advantage. 1t may be &, resin,
fish-oil, or laundry soap, but the
former is more satisfactory.
Where the paste form of arsenate
of lead is used three pounds should
be mixed with rs gallons of water.
Small gardeners may prepare solu-
lions on the basis Of two-thirds of
an ounce, or ten level teaspoonfuls,
of the powder to gallon of water:
Calcium arsenate, or arsenate OF
lime, is less effective than zins
arsenate or lead arsenate. 1t will
give fair results, however, and be-
ing much cheaper it's use presents
some advantage to the grower. 1t
should be employed at the rate of
one pound to rs gallons of water.
Arsenate of zinc has given fairly
god results. 1t should be applied at
good results. 1t should be applied at
Of water.
Arsenate Of zinc has given fairly
god results. 1t should be applied
at the rate of one pound to ~ gal
Ions Of water.
Arsenate of lead and other car
riers of arsenic may be mixed with
lime dust or land plaster in the pro-
portion of from 1-2O to $50 by
weight. busting may be accomp-
lished by putting lot of this mate
rial in a gunny sack and shaking 1t
gently over the plants. Spraying
is considered a more advantageous
method, however, of fighting this
pest.
It is important to remember that
in the handling Of these materials
the greatest care must be exercised
Remember that they are all poisons
and this fact should be indicated in
a prominent manner on all packages
or containers. Materials of this
character should not be left around
where children or others can reach
them. All containers or utensils
used in the hainflling of lead arsen-