74 



INJURIOUS INSECTS OF KANSAS. 



sucking plant juices. They have fine, sharp-pointed, sucking 

 beaks. Under the microscope, the beak of the Apple-root Louse 

 will be found to be about three-fourths as long as the body of the 

 louse, and it is usually folded back under the body. With this 

 beak the lice puncture the root and rootlets of the tree, sucking 



Fig. 40. Apple-boot Louse: a, Infested root: 6, young; c, winged adult; cl, a leg; 

 e, the sucking beak; /, antenna of adult; g, antenna of young. 



from them the nourishing juices and seriously irhpoverishing the 

 tree. The swellings are expansions of the root tissue, caused by 

 the irritation of the punctures. 



The lice sometimes ascend from the roots and attack the 

 branches, gathering in groups on the tender bark. They may 

 easily be recognized here by the white cottony or woolly covering 

 of their bodies. 



Remedies. — The Apple-root Louse has many natural enemies, 

 as have all plant-lice. Several predaceous beetles, conspicuous 

 among them certain ''lady-birds" (little sub-hemisj^herical bee- 

 tles), and the footless maggots of various two-winged flies (Syr- 

 phidse), consider the soft-bodied lice to be dainty tid-bits. 



Scalding water (temperature not exceeding 150° F.) poured 

 freely over the infested roots is the best remedy yet devised. The 

 roots may be laid bare and the hot water freely poured over them 

 without injury. A mulch jDlaced around the trees will bring 

 many of the lice to the surface, when the hot water may be ef- 

 fectively applied. Drenching the roots with soap-suds followed 

 by a liberal dressing of wood ashes is recommended. 



Dr. Lintner, State Entomologist of New York, finds that two 



