Bulletin 151, Truck and Garden Insects


 Aphids are very commonly present on lettuce. The most
common species is the garden aphid but occasionally a large
red aphid (Macrosiphon rudbeckiae) is found. For remedies
see cabbage plant-lice, page 144.
 LEAF-HOPPERS
 The bean Empoasca mali and other leaf-hoppers are quite
common on lettuce even during the coldest months. In addi-
tion to sucking the sap of the plants these insects, and also
flies which breed in the decaying heads of lettuce, spread sev-
eral destructive fungus diseases of lettuce. These diseases are
usually much more serious to winter-grown lettuce than the
direct attacks of insects. Whether the hopperdozer (see bean
leaf-hopper, page 129) could be used successfully on lettuce is a
question. When spraying lettuce with bordeaux for fungus dis-
eases it would be well to add tobacco to kill the leaf-hoppers.
During the winter the field will not be as quickly reinfested
from surrounding fields as would a field of beans in the fall.
All dead and diseased lettuce should be removed from the field
at once. This will not only lessen the amount of spores to
spread contagion, but will also stop the breeding of the flies.
 OTHER LETTUCE PESTS
 Other insects attacking lettuce are: Tarnished plant-bug
 (see under celery, page 149) ; cutworms (see under cabbage,
 page 137) ; and the pitted lygaeid (see page 204).
 MELONS
 The insects attacking this crop are the same as those dis-
cussed under cucumbers (see page 163), and watermelons (see
page 199).
 MUSTARD
 The insects attacking this crop are the same as those dis-
cussed under cabbage (see page 137).

 OKRA
 The chief insect enemies of okra are: Flea-beetles (see
under beets, page 136); the garden aphid (see plant-lice under
cabbage, page 144); red spiders (see under peas, page 175);
cutworms (see under cabbage, page 137); pumpkin bugs (see
under cowpeas, page 161) ; striped cucumber-beetle (see under
cucumbers, page 166) ; and whitefly (see under sweet potatoes,
page 187). Others are discussed here.