96 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



is often the indication of the presence of a very small 

 parasite, which lives in families on its under side. On 

 examining such a leaf with a very powerful lens, we see at 

 first that it is carpeted with a rather loose silken tissue, 

 like very small spiders' webs, in the midst of which we 

 can see numerous acarids of very small size moving 

 about. They are greenish-yellow, transparent, a half 

 smaller than the true Red Spider, to which they bear some 

 resemblance. We (M. Boisduval) have not found this 

 minute insect mentioned in any of the authors that we 

 have consulted." 



In Victoria this pest seems to have made considerable 

 headway, and, in some of the drier portions of the colony, 

 apples, almonds, and other fruits, to say nothing of vege- 

 tables, often suffer very severely. The worst case which 

 has come under the notice of the writer being a crop of 

 French beans growing in a slightly sheltered garden on 

 the St. Kilda-road, the whole crop being badly affected, 

 and the plants had to be pulled up and destroyed. 



As showing the enormous numbers of these mites, it 

 may be mentioned that on some of these bean plants the 

 masses of red spiders were quite a quarter of an inch in 

 depth, a statement which seems almost incredible; and 

 in some parts of the colony fruit trees are often quite 

 defoliated from the attacks of these tiny insects, the leaves 

 falling and allowing the rays of the sun to penetrate into 

 the tree, with the result that the bark becomes hard, and 

 the fruit often " scalds," and drops off before being fit for 

 gathering. 



"Under glass" the red spider is a perfect terror to the 

 gardener, although he has a better chance of fighting them 

 when thus covered than when in the open air. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



Allow no stones, logs, or rubbish of any kind to exist 

 in the orchard. Spray the tree with a fairly strong 

 kerosene emulsion say 1 in 25 when the tree is without 

 leaves, and again when the fruit has been gathered. 

 Sulphur in any form (crushed lump sulphur being 



