REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 173 
SESSIONAL PAPER No. 8a 
rence of the parasites seems to have been extremely restricted as to locality. The 
Aphidius mentioned above was very abundant in the garden of Mr. Collingwood 
Schreiber at Ottawa, while hardly a specimen could be found at the Central Experimental 
Farm, only two miles distant, where another parasite, Praon cerasaphis, took its place 
as the abundant species.. Prof. Johnson, who has made careful studies of the insect in 
the United States, expressly states that he has been unable to secure a single true para- 
site from the many hundreds of specimens he has attempted to breed. On the other 
hand, he found the predaceous insects feeding upon them in some localities in extra- 
ordinary numbers. Speaking of the larvee of one of the Syrphus flies, or Hovering flies, as 
they are sometimes called, he mentions one instance, as reported to him by-a reliable 
grower, that 25 bushels of the larve were run through his screens the last few days they 
were working at threshing. At the same time, hardly a Destructive Pea Aphis could 
be found where only a few days previously they were present in countless millions. 
The Syrphus flies are very active, with bodies as a rule bronzed and marked with 
yellow, almost like wasps. They may be recognized by their habit of remaining 
apparently stationary, poised in mid air for a few seconds, and then dashing off a few 
feét to take up another position in the same manner. The adult flies do not themselves 
eat the plant-lice but their elongated leech-like larve live entirely upon them. The 
eggs are laid near the colonies, and when the young grubs hatch they crawl among the 
plant-lice, and having transfixed one they raise it up and hold it aloft until they have 
sucked all the juices out of the body. They are voracious and grow rapidly, destroying 
avery large number of plant-lice in aday. There are several species, all of which 
feed upon aphides. When full grown the larve harden into pear-shaped puparia, and 
the flies enterge soon afterwards. There are several broods ina season. The lady-bird 
' beetles are such good friends of the farmer and gardener 
that everybody ought to know their appearance, but there 
is never a year passes but some one reports having taken 
great pains to destroy them when they have been found 
in numbers, believing them to be enemies. The grubs 
have aptly been said to somewhat resemble small alliga- 
tors. The lace-winged flies also have larvee of somewhat 
the same appearance, but smaller. They are armed with 
Fig. 9.—Fifteen-spotted Lady-bird: long hollow jaws with which they suck out the juices 
a, larva; b, pupa. of the plant-lice, and are equally voracious with the 
lady-bird beetles. There are many points of interest about these lace-winged flies. The 
eggs are beautiful objects, being attached to the end of slende upright threads. The 
perfect insects have gauzy lace-like wings which, when not in use, are folded together 
like a pent-house over the back. Their eyes are bright golden bronze. 
in Mr. Leadley’s letter above quoted, mention is made by him of a bright red aphis 
found by him on the roots of his sweet peas. Specimens of this same aphis were sent 
in last year by Messrs. Steele Briggs Co, of Toronto, but the species was not identified 
from the few specimens sent, as no winged individuals could be found. Upon the out- 
break of the Destructive Pea Aphis last summer it was thought that perhaps the 
species concerned might be the European Siphonophora pisi, Kalt., but Dr. Howard 
informs me that this latter is a much smaller species. : 
Remedies.—When an insect appears suddenly in the large numbers that the 
Destructive Pea Aphis did during the past season and increases with such rapidity, it 
is evident that it would be impossible to apply any remedy over such a large acreage as 
was simultaneously attacked, in most places where this insect occurred ; but upon green 
peas and the flowering sweet peas in gardens the ordinary remedies used against other 
plant-lice were found to be quite effective against this one also. Upon the Central Ex- 
perimental Farm the Horticulturist had the plants sprayed with a tobacco-and-soap 
wash made of 10 Ibs. of tobacco leaves in half a barrel of water, the liquid from which 
was strained off after a few hours, and two pounds of whale-oil soap were added. When 
the soap was all dissolved, water was added to make 40 gallons, and the liquid was 
then applied with a spraying pump. Most of the plant-lice were found to be dead two 
