The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-17

bodies of the beetles may be readily found beneath the plants on which they have been feeding. The normal life of q beetle is from 30 to 45 days, but since all the beetles do not emerge at one time, a few may be found as late as October. At more southern points the period of beetle activity occurs early in the season; !; farther north, 1t occurs later.
 Adult beetles have chewing mouth parts and generally consume the tissue between the veins of the leaves and also eats portions of the hlos- soTnS and the fruit. The leaves are Skeletonized wholly or in part, and the remnants of these leaves soon turn brown and fall The beetles prefer to feed on the portions of plants which are exposed to the direct rays of the sun. When infestation is severe, even large shade trees may be completely defoliated within a few days.
 The beetles are known to feed on more than 200 different plants They have 0 marked preference for the foliage and fruit of apple, peach, plum, quince, cherry, raspberry, and blueberry, and the foliage of grapes, Among the shade trees they are es- pecially fond Of linden, chestnut. horsechestnut, sassafraS, and elm. They are also likely to injure flower ing cherry, quince and peach, and spirea, hawthorn, shrub-althea, rose, hollyhock, dahlia, innia, hibiscus, and Virginia creeper. Tn vegetable gardens they have a marked prefer. ence for the silk of corn and feed on the foliage of beans, rhpbarb, and asparagus.
 The larvae feed on the roots of grasses and legumeS, and occasional ly they attack the roots of iris, peony, gladiolus, snapdragon, calen- dula, and other ornamental plants and shrubs. They have been known to feed on the roots of strawberry, corn, bean. tomato, beet, onion, and other vegetable crops. The most ser- ious injury by gruhs is to the roots of grass.
 Control Measures
 It Is known that various soil inhabiting microorganlsnas, such as bacteria, fungi, protooanS, and ne- matodeS, destroy the larvae of the beetles. Two types of bacteria csus- ing the so-called milk disease" of the larvae have been studied ex- tensively, and efforts are being made to culture and distribute these or ganisIns throughout the infested areas. A number of our common birds feed readily upon the beetle. and some of our common mamals having more or less subterranean habits feed on the larvae.
 Tn the early stages of infestation, collecting the beetles by hand is of some value, especially if done regu- larly and thoroughly throughout the beetle season. One of the cas- fest methods of removing beetles from heavily infested plants is by jarring early in the morning, when the temperature is low and the beetles are sluggish. The beetles should be collected and killed by dropping into a pail containg water and kerosene.
 Large numbers of beetles can be killed by contact sprays which kill by coming into direct contact with the body of the insece. Proprietary sprays are sold by reliable dealers in gardening supplies, and when used according to the directions, they are usually satisfactory.
 Traps designed to catch Japanese beetles have been used for a num- Der of years. Inexpensive traps of several types are available: when properly placed and cared for, they offer an easy and inexpensive method for destroying large numbers of beetles.
 Recent tests have shown that traps painted a pTimaTyyellow colr will catch more beetles than the same traps painted green and white. The most attractive bait is a mix ture composed of 70 parts Of gera- nioId and 1 part of eugencL Best results are obtAine dwhen trays are hung in an open. sunny position on a rod to the windward Of the plants most subject to attack and net closer than 10 to 2S feet to the plants on the ieeward.
 The United states Department of Agriculture has made extensive use of traps along the margins Of the infested area and elsewhere. to ob- tain information on the distyibutson Of the beetie in connection with efforts to retard It's spread te new areas. With this exception, the De- paTtnaent does not place traps on private property, nor eoes tt have traps available tog distribution to fndlViduals or community groups.