APPLE APHIS. 7 . 



The beginning of the attack is by deposit of eggs in autumn ; 

 these are at first yellow or green, but gradually become darker, 

 and may be found in winter, sometimes in very great num- 

 bers, as oval black shining eggs in crevices of the bark, or on 

 the young apple twigs. These hatch as soon as the buds 

 begin to swell in the spring, and the little plant-lice at once 

 betake themselves to the buds or small sprouting leaves, 

 where they feed by inserting their suckers and drawing away 

 the juices. 



These plant-lice are females, and reach maturity in ten or 

 twelve days, when they begin to produce living young, whic'ili 

 in their turn reach maturity as quickly as their mothers, and 

 are as prolific. Thus the colony increases as quickly as the 

 growth of new leaves supplies them with places of settlement. 

 With advance of the season winged aphides are produced, 

 which abound most in July, when they spread so widely and 

 so numerously as sometimes in the Apple-growing districts to 

 do' most serious mischief by the injury to the leaves ; and the 

 bark of the trees is (as in various other cases of aphis attack) 

 blackened by the secretion voided by the insects. 



The presence of the infestation is noticeable by the Apple 

 leaves being twisted and turned back, or otherwise distorted 

 out of their natural shape and position. 



Towards the end of the season males as well as females are 

 produced, and egg-deposit takes place, which lays the founda- 

 tion for the attack of the following year. 



The winged female producing living young (viviparous) is 

 of very similar shape to the Apliis pruiii figured under the 

 heading of Plum Aphis, that is, has six slender legs, two pairs 

 of delicate wings, slender and rather long horns, and near 

 the end of the abdomen (one on each side) a pair of cornicles 

 or honey-tubes. The Apple Aphis, however, differs in the 

 wings being proportionally longer and narrower than that of 

 the Plum, and the colouring is rather different. 



This species of Apple Aphis is stated to be very variable 

 both in form and colour. Of the females that produce living 

 young, the tvingless ones (hatched from the egg first in the 

 season, which may be called the mother-aphides of the suc- 

 cessive generations of the year) are globose and soft, larger 

 than those born from these aphides afterwards, of a dark slaty 

 grey colour, mottled with green, with short dark grey horns 

 and legs. The latter viviparous broods are variable in colour, 

 as green, yellowish, rusty red, &c. The ivinged female bearing 

 living young {viviparous) has the head, horns, and body be- 

 tween the wings black ; abdomen green, with dots on each 

 side ; legs yellowish, with black knees and feet. The wings 

 are long, and pale green at the base. The wingless egg-laying 



