ENTOMOLOGY 113 



covering, and yields readily to treatment. It frequently occurs on 

 the oleander, and is commonly known as the oleander scale. The 

 male scales are white and very greatly exceed the females in abun- 

 dance. The female scales are light buff in color with a faint purple 

 tinge, rather than white, are two or three times the size of the male 

 scales, and rather larger also than the scales of the species already 

 described. The fruit of the lemon and orange is often invaded by 

 the females of this species. 



The Chaff Scale. With this scale insect the molted skins are 

 at one end of the scale, as in the case of Mytilaspis, and the scale is 

 oval or nearly circular, as in the case of Asipdiotus. It is very apt 

 to be clustered thickly, often overlapping on leaves or twigs and fruit, 

 giving the surface a rough appearance, as though covered with loose 

 chaff. In color the female scale is light straw-yellow, the female in- 

 sect showing through, usually with a greenish tinge. The number of 

 generations and life history correspond very closely with the species 

 already described. As a rule, the chaff scale by preference remains 

 on the trunk and branches, covering these portions of the plant 

 densely before going on the leaves and fruit. This fact renders it 

 somewhat less noticeable than the other species, and its presence may, 

 for a time, be overlooked. 



The chaff scale has been destructive, so far, only in Florida and 

 the Gulf region, having apparently been introduced from the Ber- 

 muda Islands or some of the West Indies. It is closely allied to cer- 

 tain scale insects occurring in the Old World, and probably came to 

 this country from Europe or Asia. It yields to the same treatments 

 which are advised for the other armored scales. 



The Orange Chionaspis. This species occurs in the orange 

 groves of the Eastern United States, and is also especially trouble- 

 some in Louisiana. Professor Morgan reports that its presence on the 

 trees causes a bursting of the bark and very ugly wounds, followed 

 in very many cases by the rotting of the trunks of the older trees. 

 The orange Chionaspis is found also in several of the West Indian 

 islands, Mexico, and in most foreign countries where citrus fruits are 

 grown. The male scales are striking objects on account of their white 

 color, and the females are readily distinguished from the other ar- 

 mored scales of similar general shape by the distinctly ridged appear- 

 ance of the waxy portion. The orange Chionaspis is readily con- 

 trolled by the same treatments advised on a previous page for the 

 other armored scales. 



The Unarmored Scales. The species to be considered in this 

 group include three LecaniumSj the mealy bug, two wax scales, and 

 the fluted scale. Strictly speaking, the Lecaniums are the only ones 

 which secrete no covering. The mealy bug secretes a waxy or mealy 

 powder, which covers its body, and a similar secretion in le^s amount 

 is made by the fluted scale. Both of the latter species secrete very 

 abundant quantities of wax for the protection of their egg-*- The wax 

 scales cover themselves with copious waxy secretion, which, however, 

 attaches firmly to the body, and can not be considered as a separate 

 covering in the sense of the scale of the armored specie.?. The de- 



