Florida Agricultural Experiment Station


means of a coarse burlap bag shaken over the vines, but a
better method is to use a dusting machine.
 The cheapest method of dealing with the caterpillars and
one that has been entirely successful in many cases, is to poison
them with the Kansas bait; directions for making it are given
under cutworms. (See under cabbage, page 137.) The bait
should be put out about sunset or on cloudy days so that it will
not dry out quickly.
 Birds, including chickens and turkeys, are very fond of
these caterpillars. They are also attacked by parasitic flies and
wasp-like enemies and preyed upon by true wasps.
 FALL ARMY WORM
 The fall army worm often attacks sweet potatoes. It is a
smaller, slimmer caterpillar than the sweet-potato caterpillar
and control measures are the same. Its description and life
history will be found under corn. (See page 155.)
 HORNWORMS
 The larvae of several hawk-moths or sphinx-moths, also
called "humming-bird moths" from their habit of hovering
over flowers, often attack sweet potatoes. These do not work
in armies" but they are so large that a few scattered in-
dividuals can do considerable damage and should be collected
by hand. For the life history and enemies of these insects see
under tomatoes, page 194.
 GOLDBUGS, OR TORTOISE-BEETLES
 These are pretty little beetles which eat holes in the leaves
 of sweet potatoes. They are usually common but are seldom
 present in sufficient number to be considered a troublesome pest.
 Nevertheless, the entire damage amounts to considerable. The
 beetles are round to oblong in shape and about 1/4 inch long.
 Two species are common in Florida. The more abundant (Cop-
 tocycla aurichalcea) is of a beautiful iridescent, golden color.
 It looks like a drop of gold against the deep green of the leaf,
 on the upper surface of which it is commonly found. The other
 (Chirida guttata) has a ground color of duller yellow with a
 harp-shaped black pattern stretching completely across the back.
 These beetles can be poisoned readily with lead arsenate.
 SWEET-POTATO WHITEFLY (Bemesia inconspicua)
 This relative of the destructive citrus whitefly is a severe
 pest to sweet potatoes in the southern part of the State, par-