102 FLORIDA FRUITS ORANGES. 



Chief among these staunch friends of the orange tree 

 are the orange scale apelinus, the twice-stabbed lady-bug, 

 minute scymnus, red mite, and orange chrysopa. 



The first-named, the orange scale apelinus, is a four- 

 winged fly, about 0.2 of an inch long; it lays one egg 

 under each scale among the eggs of its foe, and as soon as 

 the larva, which is a white footless grub, is hatched, it be- 

 gins to feed on the latter, changing into its pupa state only 

 when the last egg is gone ; a few days later it punctures 

 the top of the scale, and emerges in its perfect fly-shape. 



The next of our good friends, being more noticeable, is 

 often, alas, ruthlessly slaughtered for an enemy by those 

 who, if they knew its true character, would carefully pro- 

 tect it. From February to November, in this State, one 

 often sees a little round, dark bug with two red spots on 

 its wings, and also a dark, slate-colored larva crawling 

 among the orange trees. They are one and the same in- 

 sect, the twice-stabbed lady-bug, and so valuable a friend 

 to the orange grower as to be worthy of importation to any 

 grove where it has not voluntarily settled. 



They breed throughout the year and in the fall lay their 

 eggs where the scale insect is most abundant ; then, when 

 their eggs hatch, the dark, spine-like larvae at once com- 

 mence feeding on the scales around them ; soon they crawl 

 off to a retired spot, affix themselves to a leaf or branch, 

 and become pupse, which, in a few days, again change to a 

 soft, pale-colored beetle, without a sign of the spots and 

 dark wings shortly to appear. 



If there is any Spanish moss on the tree the larvae will be 

 found there in greater numbers than elsewhere. 



The minute scymnus, large scymnus, and red orange mite, 

 are so small as to be rarely observed by the naked eye, and 

 hence they are exposed to the same danger of destruction 

 by those they serve, as are those heretofore mentioned. 



