Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1925-07-16
THE MEXICAN BEAN BEETLE


(By County Agent j. l.. Shriver)
The farmer has hard row to hoe.
Everyone who has a small garden
and is attempting to raise a few
beans for home use is getting a taste
Iof the farmers trouble. The
patches of beans that escaped the
frosts this spring, are now suffering
from an infestation which threatens
to destroy the bean growing enter
prise. Perhaps a camp or barrack
weary soldier whose "mess sarge"
was inclined to indent heavily of
the Boston famed delicacy, would re-
joice in the existence of the new pest
that is present here in Ohio
Yes, the Mexican bean beetle is
here, and we fear that it is here to
stay. His coming has been an
nouneed for some years. He is sup
posed to have originated in Mexico,
where he has been known for half
century. He has slowly crept north
ward and reached Morgan county
this year. This insect invaded south
ern Ohio counties in 1923, in which
year we saw a couple of ruined gar
dens in Portsmouth that he had been
operating on. 1t has taken the beetle
has crept over new territory at
more rapid rate than the European
corn borer is creeping down on us
probably be in Morgan county corn
fields in a couple of years.
The Mexican bean beetle is med
ium sized, hemi-spherical shaped
beetle about one-fourth inch long,
o1o L,
eight black spots on each wing and
two on the head. 1t is practically
the shape of the Colorado potato
beetle or "potato bug" The female
lays 300-500 eggs in clusters Of 40
so on the under side of the bean
leaf. These eggs hatch into larva in
from four to eight days The
larva are one-fourth one-third inch
long. lemon colored, and carry a
number of spines about over the
body that fade into a grayish fluff
at the tips. The adult and larva
both feed on the underside of the
leaf and leave the leaf in torn and
lace-like appearance They prefer
bush beans to pole beans, but are
equally as damaging to the latter.
Prof. Parks confined them to soy
beans and COW peas last summer, but
they ate with less appetite. They
have been known to thrive on Span
ish needles in Alabama.
How can we get rid of them? I'm
til recently, no control measure was
known that would not injure the
bean foliage as badly as the insect
itself A few control practices have
been developed recently Mix and
apply as a dust, the following: Cal
cium arsenate or lead arsenate. one
part (by weight; hydrated lime.
nine parts (by weight.
Apply the dust with can which
has number of small holes punch
ed in the top. The dust should be
applied while the dew is on and to
the underside of the foliage. An ap-
plication every ten days or two
weeks until the crop is harvested
should give good control The ideal
type of instrument to apply the dust
with is commercial fan-type hand
duster as is used by some of the
truck growers in the Stockport com
munity.
The above mixture may be modi-
fed and used as a spray. Mix the
following: Calcium arsenate, "a o.,
hydrated lime, u OF, water, gal
Ions.
Get your druggist or hardware
dealer - order the material for you.
He is interested in your farming OPP
erations, After he stocks up the
materia! for you, buy it from him.
Hold over goods are expensive.
No, we lave no report of anyone
being poisoned by eating sprayed
beans. Washing before cooking re-
moves the poison.