146 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE PEAR. 



the sweets, and by their busy bustle draw attention to the 

 mischief progressing. With a magnifying lens the authors 

 of the injury may be observed immersed in the sap about the 

 axils of the leaves. 



This insect is known as the Pear-tree Psylla, a small, yellow, 

 jumping creature, flattened in form, and provided with short 

 legs, a broad head, and sharp beak. With the beak are made 

 the punctures from which the sap exudes. In rare instances 



they occur in immense 



Fig. 161. numbers, when almost 



every leaf on a tree will 



seem to be affected ; all 



growth is at once arrested, 



and frequently the tree loses 



a considerable portion of 



its leaves. When in the 



pupa state with the wings 



developing, they present the appearance shown in Fig. 151 ; 



a represents the under side, 6 the upper side ; the perfect 



winged insect is shown in Fig. 152, all highly magnified. 



The color of the pupa is 

 Fig. 162. deep orange-red, the thorax 



striped with black, and the 

 abdomen blackish brown. 

 Towards the end of the 

 summer they attain matu- 

 rity, when they are fur- 

 nished with transparent 

 wings ; the head is deeply 

 notched in front; color orange-yellow, with the abdomen 

 greenish. Length one-tenth of an inch. 



Remedies. — Paint the twigs with a strong solution of soft- 

 soap, as recommended for N(». 2, or syringe the trees witiv 

 strong soapsuds. 



