146 



Insect Pests. 



The effect of weather on this Schizoneura is nil. It will be 

 just as bad in a wet, cold, as in a warm, dry season. It has been 

 found in this country reproducing on some old trees two days after 

 hard frost and snow, with the temperature down to 17 F. The 

 quantity of wool, the habit of secreting itself in any crevice of bark, 

 or amongst lichens and moss, all tend to protect it. 



Besides apples, it now and again will attack pears, but such is 

 certainly very unusual in this country. Notes have been sent a few 

 times of its presence on perry pears, but I have failed to find it 

 myself on that fruit, nor have I yet found it 

 on the wild crabs, but it is found on the latter. 

 In very severe attacks in bad years it may 

 not only be found on the trunk, twigs and 

 roots, but also on the leaves, and on several 

 occasions it has been detected on fruit, where 

 it has produced discoloration. 



LlFE-HlSTOKY AND HABITS. 



The " mother-queen " aphis is oval in 

 form, of various shades of purplish-brown ; 

 antenna? and legs dark reddish-brown ; some 

 varieties are rich plum coloured ; all secrete a 

 quantity of white meal from the dorsal glands. 

 These " mother-queens " may be found all the 

 year. Usually they seek shelter in crevices 

 in the trunk, or in and around the edges of 

 distorted growths during the winter, as well as 

 below ground on the trunk and on the roots. 

 This female reproduces viviparously, and the 

 young (lice) crawl about at first in the wool, 

 and are yellowish in colour. Later these 

 larv;e or lice may crawl farther from the 

 parent, but as a rule they remain in close company for some time, 

 forming a small colony. After moulting they assume the dull 

 purplish-brown to plum-coloured hue of the parent. 



It is these viviparously produced young which secrete the large 

 quantities of wool, which may hang down in great festoons from the 

 branches. 



These Iarva3 soon commence to produce young like their parents, 

 and this method of reproduction may go on all the summer. Very 

 irregularly and very rarely pupse or nymphs arise from the lice 

 during the summer, which give rise to winged viviparous females. 



YOUNG WOOD ATTACKED BY 

 WOOLLY APHIS. 



