TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 2/ 



Report of Committee on Injurious Insects. 



The season of 1910, unlike that of 1909, broug'ht a com- 

 parative scarcity of plant lice. The rosy apple aphis, which 

 caused so much damage to apple trees throughout the state 

 last }ear, and which we expected might again be troublesome, 

 was so scarce that we had to look sharp to find it at all, and 

 then only in very small colonies. We planned to conduct 

 further experiments in spraying to destro}- this pest in both 

 its egg and nymph stages, but had to abandon a part of our 

 plans because we could not find the aphids to treat. In no 

 case observed did the rosy apple aphis cause any particular 

 damage in 1910. The 15-spotted lady beetle, Anatis i§-puiic- 

 tata Oliv., must have been in part responsible for checking 

 this aphis, as it was extremely abundant, and from 15 to 20 

 yellow egg-clusters, containing altogether several hundred 

 eggs, were found on nearly every tree in an orchard in 

 Orange. These eggs were also noticed in Meriden and other 

 places. 



The green apple aphis was present in moderate numbers, 

 as in 1909. 



The peach sawfly, Pamphilius persicuni MacG., defoliated 

 many trees in some of the large orchards, and though I have 

 not learned of any spraying being done since 1907 to check 

 the ravages of this insect, some of the orchardists are plan- 

 ning to spray with lead arsenate in 1911. Probably 2 lbs. 

 in 50 gallons of water will be strong enough. 



In the summer spraying experiments carried on in various 

 orchards last summer it was shown that lead arsenate can be 

 used at the rate of 3 lbs. in 50 gallons in connection with the 

 commercial or home-made lime-sulphur sprays on both peach 

 and apple foliage, but it should not be mixed with "Sulfo- 

 cide'' or with sulphide of potash, because the chemical action 

 produces soluble arsenates which cause serious injury not 

 only to the leaves but to the young fruit and even the twigs. 



