1903 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 35 



is wingless, may be prevented from climbing up and depositing her egg masses on the tree. 

 Mr. C. W. Nash, of Toronto, has very pertinently said that in the orchard and shade trees 

 every egg mass can be taken oft' without much difticulty, but " I am sorry to say that the woods 

 for miles around Toronto are now badly infested, and from these strongholds there will be 

 some difticulty in destroying them." He very properly blames the civic authorities for their 

 negligence in fighting the pest at wrong times and with improper weapons. 



Cottony Maple Scale. For some years this pest has not been destructive, but this season 

 it seems to have gathered force, and is proving quite serious in some sections. Alarming 

 reports come from Woodstock r.nd London, and Waterloo is becoming anxious as to the eflect 

 this pest will have upon the maples. 



This pest is quite conspicuous in early June on infested trees wich its cottony secretion. 

 This waxy substance is secreted by the female at the time the eggs are being deposited, and 

 forms a protective covering for the eggs. At one end will be noticed the oval, brown scale, 

 the remnant of the mother insect, for this insect belongs to the family of sc.ile insects 

 (Coccidae), to which also belongs the terrible San Jose scale, abDufc which much has been said, 

 done, and written during the last few years. 



The eggs laid by a single scale are very numerous, and begin to hatch about the end of 

 June or beginning of July. At this time swarms of minute lice may be seen crawling on the 

 infested twigs. They soon fix themselves to the bark by inserting their beaks, and begin to 

 suck the sap of the trees. In a short time the young begin to form scales of their own by 

 secreting a waxy substance through certain pores on their body. In September they become 

 adult. The males die before winter, but the females migrate from the leaves to the twigs, 

 where they remain all winter. In spring the females grow rapidly, and the eggs are laid as 

 described in the cottony sack in June. 



With regard to remedies, it may be said that whenever a few of the cottony sacs appear 

 the best plan is to cut off" and burn the infested twigs, for by doing so thousands of eggs will 

 be destroyed. 



However, when, by reason of numbers, this operation becomes impracticable, resort must 

 be had to spraj'ing solutions. Kerosene emulsion and whale oil soap solutions are perhaps the 

 most effective. The standard kerosene emulsion should ba diluted with ten parts of water if 

 used alone. Some authorities recommend the use of the mixture — the standard emulsion is 

 diluted with one pound of fish oil dissolved in ten gallons of water. 



The best time to apply the mixture is about the first or second week in July, when the 

 young lice emerge from the eggs. They are then easily killed. Winter or fall treatment is 

 also valuable. The same substance may be used, but the solutions should be stronger than 

 those used in summer. 



In some cities where the cottony scale made its appearance good results were secured by 

 applying a strong stream of water against the cottony sacs when they contained the eggs, and 

 before these hatched. By reason of the abundance of parasites this pest is seldom trouble- 

 some more than two seasons. 



Garden Insects. 



A Gooseberry Fruit-Worm. For several years the fruit of the thinnest skinned American 

 varieties of gooseberries have been destroyed by a worm which is the caterpillar of a moth. (Fig. 6). 

 Early in July [ received some specimens of gooseberries which were well formed but which 

 had dropped from the bushes. The fruit at this particular time gave 

 no indication that they were infested beyond that they had dropped 



^^^ ' ^^' ""^^ [rematurely and had ripened also prematurely. In a few days, how- 

 ^F «i |v^'-«". ever, the fruit became softened at the heart and the presence of the 



bV. 0. Gooseberry Fiuit-Moth caterpillar became evident. It had eaten away some of the pulpy 



{Dakriniia Coni-obifeUa} and ^ ■' y 



P»pa, tisuia near the heart and the fruit had collapsed and decay had set in. 



