. Bulletin. Insects; Insect pests; Entomology; Insects; Insect pests; Entomology. 34 SOME INSECTS INJURIOUS TO TRUCK CROPS. and did very little damage to the hop vines until 1903. During that spring the beetles appeared in large numbers and held the vines back for some time, but by the persistent use of tarred boards they were kept in check and the crop saved. During the seasons of 1904- 1908 the beetles gradually increased in numbers, reaching their maxi- mum destructiveness in 1908. As soon as the hops began pushing through the ground the beetles were observed swarming around the vines, givi
. Bulletin. Insects; Insect pests; Entomology; Insects; Insect pests; Entomology. 34 SOME INSECTS INJURIOUS TO TRUCK CROPS. and did very little damage to the hop vines until 1903. During that spring the beetles appeared in large numbers and held the vines back for some time, but by the persistent use of tarred boards they were kept in check and the crop saved. During the seasons of 1904- 1908 the beetles gradually increased in numbers, reaching their maxi- mum destructiveness in 1908. As soon as the hops began pushing through the ground the beetles were observed swarming around the vines, giving the soil in the immediate vicinity a black, metallic appearance. These swarms of flea-beetles devoured the hop shoots as fast as they appeared, and in places where the vines were a foot or more on the string the attack was so severe that in a few days the field looked as if it had been burned over. This infestation resulted in a loss of about 75 per cent of the crop in the Chilliwack and Agassiz valleys. LIFE HISTORY. THE EGGS. Dcso'tptlre.—The eggs of Psylliodes piinctulata (fig. 8) are one-third of a millimeter long, about one-half as wide, ellipto-cylindrical in shape, and quite yellow in color. They are very hard to distinguish, unless in clusters, without the aid of a hand lens, and when mixed with soil it is almost im- possil)le to find them. Where laid.—Beetles which were confined in lamp-chimney breeding- devices were observed to oviposit upon hop leaves and pieces of paper and upon the sides and bottoms of the chimneys. One morn- ing, upon moving a cage which had a cheese-cloth base, the writer discovered several hundred eggs which had been deposited between the cloth and the table. As this appeared to be an excellent way to obtain eggs in large numbers, several cages were accordingly fitted up, and to make conditions as natural as possible, were placed over moist soil. Hundreds of eggs were obtained in this manner and were in a very convenient situation for han
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