INSECTS, MITES, ETC. 261 



a shining shield-like skin, which, when the female has 

 laid her eggs and she dies, serves as a covering for the 

 young Scale. For the first day or two after hatching the 

 young Scale move about to find a suitable feeding place, 

 then they firmly attach themselves to the shoot by their 

 suckers, and never move afterwards. It is during this 

 stage of their existence when the ants make themselves 

 busy in distributing the young Scale about. There is also 

 the Orange-tree Scale, a flat species, which punctures the 

 shoot to such an extent that the sap falls on the leaves 

 below, and forms the sticky honey-dew that is often found 

 coating their surface. Then there is the Fern Scale, 

 Camellia Scale, Oleander Scale, Aspidistra Scale, Palm 

 Scale, etc., all fairly common on greenhouse plants. 



Remedies. — When plants are badly infested with Scale 

 insects it requires some drastic measures to remove them. 

 In the case of hard-wooded plants the shoots must be 

 thoroughly scrubbed with a brush and a strong solution of 

 an insecticide like Gishurst Compound. The leaves, too, 

 if infested, must be carefully sponged, removing any Scale 

 not easily detached by a sponge by means of a small 

 pointed stick. Syringing with water heated to 140 deg. 

 Fahr. will invariably kill Scale. Tender plants, such as 

 ferns, can only be freed from Scale by first detaching the 

 insects with a pointed stick, and afterwards sponging with 

 one of the liquid insecticides. Fumigation with tobacco 

 is useless, and so is syringing with insecticides, unless 

 done several times in succession at intervals of a few days. 

 Oleanders, oranges, and camellias very badly infested 

 may be quite cleared of Scale by immersing the plants 

 entirely in water for a day or two. This, however, shoiild 

 only be done in summer. 



Snow-flies— The Snow-fly (Aleyrodes proletella) is 

 related to the Aphides, and closely resembles them in 

 form and size, the main difference being that the former 

 are covered with a white powder; their habits, too, and 

 manner of feeding are similar. They are more frequently 



