The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-01-14
White-Fringed Beetles
Serious Threat To Crops

This is the first in series Of
three articles prepared for the
Star by the Wilmington office of
the White Fringe Beetle Control
division of the Department of
Agriculture. The next article
will appear next Monday and
will cover quarantine measures
employed in controlling the
pest.
White-Fringed Beetles, family
CMculioniade, genus Pantomorus,
subgenus Graphognathus, which
have been reported as occurring in
South America and Australia, were
discovered as present in the Gulf
Coast area of the United States
in 1886. In the summer of 1912
they were found established in
Wilmington, N. c., and vicinity.
Since that time isolated infesta-
tons have been located in several
other places in southeastern North
Carolina, a total Of $685. acres in
Is counties being classified as in
tested at the end of 1915.
These beetles are potentially
serious agricultural pests, capable
of doing considerable economic
damage to crops grown in North
Carolina. The larvae or grubs live
in the soil where they feed upon
and destroy the roots Of such i'm
portant food, feed, fiber and oil
crops as peanuts, corn and cotton.
They also attack tobacco, soy
beans, truck crops and a variety
Of other edible as well as orna.
mental plants. While the adult
beetles are less destructive to
crops than the larvae, they feed
on various plants and cause some
damage.
In comparison with other insect
pests of agriculture, white-fringed
beetles are unique in many OF
their habits and in their biology.
The adults, which are all females
capable of producing eggs that will
hatch without fertilization, and
thus reproduce parthenogenetical
ly, occur above ground in greatest
plumbers during the months OF
June, July and August. They are
unable to fly and upon emergence
from the soil seek shade, shelter
and food. They feed on over 200
known species Of plants and start
depositing eggs after feeding.
Eggs are laid in clusters of few
to as high as so on sticks and other
objects in contact with the ground,
and with favorable food each adult
will deposit about 600 eggs. Under
favorable conditions of tempera-
ture and moisture, the eggs hatch
in Is days but under other condi.
tons, eggs have been found to re-
main viable for many months.
The larvae or grubs are soil
inhabiting and upon Matching from
the egg travel into the soil where
they feed upon plant roots or de-
composing vegetable matter dur.
ing the fall winter and spring
months, reaching larval maturity
in May or early June. The prin.
cipal economic damage caused by
white-fringed beetles results from
the larvae feeding on the roots OF
young and terminating plants in
the spring.
BY severely feeding on the lower
part Of the stem or by chewing
away the taproot, the young plants
discolor, wilt and die. Where root
feeding is not so severe, the plants
may survive, but little or no crop
is produced. After the larvae
have completed their growth and
stopped feeding they construct
pupal cells in the soil and emerge
as adults after a period of ap.
proximately Is days.
While the insect is known to &C.
cur in the United States only along
the Gulf Coast and in North Caro-
lima, normal low temperatures en-
countered in those areas fail to
appreciably influence larval popu-
lations. Insofar as temperature is
concerned it is believed possible
for the beetle to become establish
ed as far north and west as Penn
sylvania, Illinois Kansas, and Cali
fornia.
Research observations made to
date indicate that under certain
conditions the insect can
rapidly increase in numbers. No
effective parasites or predators
have been found to date. These
factors materially enhance the
white-fringed beetles importance
as an economic insect pest and
the possibilities of its further
spread. l;
Due to the fact that white-fringed ,
beetles have demonstrated their ,
potential ability to cause economic
crop damage to many of the agrl- 7
crops grown in the south, s
and also in view of the fact that $
he insect was of apparent recent
to, and not widely =,
distributed in, the southern states, =
State Pest Control officials and :
he U. S. Department of Agricul- =
ure deemed it advisable to initiate =
program to control this pest.
Upon discovery of the beetle in v
North Carolina, the North Caro- :
ina Department Of Agriculture in =
cooperation with the U. S. Depart
nent of Agriculture inaugurated a $
program similar to that being con i
lucted in the infested areas of the +
affected Gulf Coast states. In !
ormation accumulated in research !
is used in the formula
ion of procedures for controilihg