APHIS HERDS AND ANT ASSOCIATES 



winter brood begin to pair and lay eggs in the first warm 

 days of April. The eggs are placed in the creases of the 

 bark, or in old leaves, or scars about the bases of the 

 terminal buds of the preceding year's growth some also 

 upon the side. They are usually laid singly, but rows 

 of eight or ten are sometimes found. The eggs are 

 scarcely visible to the unaided eye. It would take 

 eighty of them placed lengthwise to measure an inch. 

 A short stalk on the larger end attaches the egg to the 

 bark, and a long, thread-like process projects from the 

 smaller end. 



About the middle of May most of the eggs are hatched 

 and the hibernating adults have disappeared. Imme- 

 diately after emerging from the egg the minute nymph 

 seeks a suitable feeding-place, and is soon at work suck- 

 ing the sap with its short beak, which appears to arise 

 from between its legs. The favorite feeding-places of 

 the nymph are in the axles of the leaf and the petioles 

 and stems of the fruit. Sometimes in early spring they 

 crawl into the buds. When the axles of the fruit-stems 

 and leaves are full, the nymphs gather in closely packed 

 clusters about the base of the petioles and stems. If 

 very numerous, they gather on the under side of the 

 leaves along the mid-rib. They move about but little, 

 and sometimes become covered with their own honey- 

 dew. If disturbed they crawl around rapidly. 



The only time the nymphs seem to stop feeding is 

 during the casting of their own skins, which become 

 too small and give place to new and elastic skins formed 

 just beneath the old ones, in the ordinary method of 

 moulting insects. At the last moult, which occurs about 

 one month after the nymph emerges from the egg, the 

 adult insect appears. 



'7 247 



