394 Handbook of Nature-Study 



The aphids injuring our flowers and plants may be killed by spraying 

 them with soapsuds made in the proportion of one-quarter pound of 

 ivory soap to one gallon of water. The spraying must be done very 

 thoroughly so as to reach all the aphids hidden on the stems and beneath 

 the leaves. It should be repeated every three days until the aphids are 

 destroyed. 



LESSON LXXXVII 

 THE APHIDS, OR PLANT-LICE 



Leading thought Aphids have the mouth in the form of a sucking tube 

 which is thrust into the stems and leaves of plants ; through it the plant 

 juices are drawn for nourishment. Aphids are the source of honey-dew of 

 which ants are fond. 



Method Bring into the schoolroom a plant infested with aphids, place 

 the stem in water and let the pupils examine the insects through the lens. 



Observations i. How are the aphids settled on the leaf? Are their 

 heads in the same direction? What are they doing? 



2. Touch one and make it move along. What does it do in order to 

 leave its place? What does it do with its sucking tube as it walks off? 

 On what part of the plant was it feeding? Why does not Paris green 

 when applied to the leaves of plants kill aphids? 



3 . Describe an aphid, including its eyes, antennas, legs and tubes upon 

 the back. Does its color protect it from observation? 



4. Can you see cast skins of aphids on the plant? Why does an 

 aphid have to shed its skin? 



5. Are all the aphids on a plant wingless? When a plant becomes 

 dry are there, after several days, more winged aphids? Why do the 

 aphids need wings? 



6. Do you know what honey-dew is? Have you ever seen it upon the 

 leaf? How is honey-dew made by the aphids? Does it come from the 

 tubes on their back? What insects feed upon this honey-dew? 



7. What enemies have the aphids? 



8. What damage do aphids do to plants? How can you clean plants 

 of plant-lice? 



/ saw it (an ant), at first, pass, without stopping, some aphids which it did not 

 however disturb. It shortly'', [after stationed itself near one of the smallest, and 

 appeared to caress it, by touching the extremity of its body, alternately with its anten- 

 nae, with an extremely rapid movement. I saw, with much surprise, the fluid proceed 

 from the body of the aphid, and the ant take it in its mouth. Its antenna were after- 

 wards directed to a much larger aphid than the first, which, on being caressed after 

 the same manner, discharged the nourishing fluid in greater quantity, which the ant 

 immediately swallowed: it then passed to a third which it caressed, like the preced- 

 ing, by giving it several gentle blows, with the antenna, on the posterior extremity of 

 the body; and tlie liquid ivas ejected at the same moment, and the ant lapped it up. 



PIERRE HUBER, 1810. 



