﻿312 POMONA COLLEGE JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY 



August 30, 1910. — Young and half-grown mealy bugs appearing in con- 

 siderable numbers on the fruit of the orange and lemon trees. More nu- 

 merous than last month. No egg-masses. 



The almost complete disappearance during the summer months, had led 

 many to believe that the mealy bug had left the trees, but upon close 

 examination it will be found that the young are there, but hid away in 

 cracks and crevices upon the orange trees waiting for the fruit to set. Upon 

 tlie lemon trees they are settled around the stem, under the calyx, or between 

 lemons, and also upon the tender sucker growth. 



M.\LE NYMPHS .-VND ADULTS, AT SANTA PAULA. 



Tlie young male usually selects an egg mass under which to transform. 

 This is [jrobably for two reasons; viz., to find protection, and to be able to 

 perform his sexual (kity without any great traveling, for it is probable that 

 the male flies very Hltle until after copulation. In nearly every egg mass 

 there is to be found a developing male, even though the egg mass is only a few- 

 days old. Since the copulation takes place while the female is less than 

 or when she is half grown, the transformations of the male must be more 

 rapid than that of the female, and this accounts for the advanced stages of 

 the male in the egg masses. As soon as the cocoon is left behind the male 

 searches out those ready for mating, before the thought of flight is enter- 

 tained, and in the large egg-masses many of the males never get an opportunity 

 to fly. 



Though a delicate insect, the male is capable of long flights. In cages, 

 I have observed individuals constantly upon the wing for one hour before 

 lighting, and then repeat the same operation. That they fly a great deal 

 was shown by tangle foot bands in remote parts of the infested orchards. On 

 a single 2-inch band, thousands of the male mealy bugs were sticking and 

 on every band in a 50-acre seedling orchard the same thing was observed, 

 llow many males the bands succeeded in capturing it is hard to estimate, 

 but the matter of reproduction by the females continued unhampered. 



While most of the males transform under the egg masses, during the early 

 breeding season in the fall when there are no egg-masses, except those just 

 lieing deposited, the males may be found in great numbers pupating upoi? 

 the leaves. The accompanying cut, showing the male cocoons, was photo- 

 graphed from a tree which was swarming with the transforming males. 



HOST PLANTS. 



I fast Plants of Fscudococcus Citri (Risso) /;/ California. 

 Begonia. Only in greenhouse. — Ehrhorn. 

 Bignonia sp. — Baker & Essig. 

 Bouvardia sp. — In greenhouse. — Essig. 

 Callistemon lanceolatus (Bottle Brush).— Baker & Essig. 

 Ceanothus integerrimus— In Mountains.— Essig. 

 Citrus aurantium (Orange).— Baker & Essig. 

 Citrus decumanus ( Pomelo).— Baker & Essig. 



