253 GARDEN FOES. 



grown the maggots uo not quit tlic leaves, but ionii cliLst- 

 nut-brown coloured pupie in the mines, and eventually 

 emerge therefrom as perfect flies. 



Kemedies. — When the maggots are seen in the leaves 

 it is useless applying insecticides, as anything powerful 

 enough to reach them would at the same time kill the 

 leaves. The only remedy in such a case is to either pinch 

 off and burn the infested leaf, or to crush the maggot 

 betw^een the finger and thumb in the leaf, or to pick out 

 each grub with the point of a penknife or darning-needle. 

 As a preventive, syringing the foliage frequently during 

 May and June, when the flies are on the wing, with a 

 parafifin solution, is a first-rate plan. The solution should 

 be prepared as follows: Place a piece of bath brick in a 

 w^ooden pail, and pour as much paraffin oil thereon as it 

 will soak up. Fill the pail with water, and leave it foi- 

 three or four days, then remove the scum from the sur- 

 face, and syringe, or, better still, spray the foliage 

 thoroughly with it in the evening. Prepared thus, the 

 essence of the oil is thoroughly communicated to the 

 water, and no injury wdll be done to the foliage. The 

 oiled surface acts as a deterrent to the fly depositiiig its 



PIT as 



Mealy Bug:. — This is a well-known greenhouse pest. 

 The males are small, with long antennsie, pale red in 

 colour, and covered with white powder. The females have 

 shorter antenmi?, no wings, a longer body than the male, 

 red in colour, and covered with white meal. The latter 

 are very active whilst in the growing stage, and move 

 freely about from place to place. When the eggs are 

 laid they are covered w^ith a cottony substance, which is 

 exuded from the skin of the female insect. The most 

 common species is Dactylopius longispinus. Like their 

 relatives, the Scale insects, they puncture the epidermis 

 of the leaves or shoots, and extract the sap. 



Remedies.— When the Mealy Bug has gained an en- 

 trance into a gi'ceidiouse it is not easy to eradicate it. 



