242 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



ent, of most of them, consequently 

 bush honey is not even a second- 

 rate article. There is, however, 

 scarce a month in the year when 

 bees cannot find honey and pollen 

 in a mixed bush, which makes the 

 proximity of bush to the apiary 

 extremely desirable. 



Bees winter in the North with- 

 out any extra attention, unless in 

 very bad seasons, and in the South 

 with a warm covering and wood or 

 chaff divisions. 



Foul brood has made its appear- 

 ance and in some localities is very 

 bad. This is felt to be a great 

 pity, but with proper attention it 

 may be driven out ; where wild bees 

 are plentiful, however, this will 

 not be easily done. 



Having given you a few general 

 items, I will leave matters of detail 

 for future communications. 

 Neio Zealand, September 10, 1884. 



THE MAPLE-BARK LOUSE. ^ 



By Prof. A. J. Cook. 



From very numerous inquiries as 

 to name, habit, and remedies, re- 

 garding this louse, I have for some 

 weeks intended to write you ; but 

 an overwhelming amount of work 

 has prevented, until your letter 

 drives me to it. Pres. E. Orton 

 writes me that this insect is killing 

 the soft-maples, and wishes a reme- 

 dy. Mr. O. J. Terrill, from North 

 Ridgeville, says they are affording 

 much nectar, which attracts the 



iFi'om Gleanings. 



bees, and seems excellent, and 

 wislies to know if it is probably 

 wholesome. Tlie editor of the 

 Cold water (Michigan) Republican, 

 asks if there is any w-ay to save the 

 maples. These are samples of a 

 score of inquiries coming thick 

 from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and 

 Michigan. 



The maple-tree scale or bark 

 louse (Pidvinaria innumerabilis, 

 Rath.) consists at this season of a 

 brown scale about five-eighths of an 

 inch long, which is oblong, and 

 slightly notched behind. On the 

 back of the scale are transverse 

 depressions, marking segments. 

 The blunt posterior of the insect is 

 raised by a large dense mass of 

 fibrous cotton-like material , in 

 which will be found about 800 small 

 white eggs. These eggs falling on 

 a dark surface look to the unaided 

 eye like flour ; but with a lens they 

 are found to be oblong, and would 

 be pronounced by all as eggs at 

 once. This cotton-like egg-recep- 

 tacle is often so thick as to raise the 

 brown scale nearly a fourth of an 

 inch. These scales are found on 

 the under side of the limbs of the 

 trees, and are often so thick as to 

 overlap each other. Often there 

 are hundreds on a single main 

 branch of the tree. I find them on 

 bass wood, soft and hard maple, 

 and grapevines, though much the 

 more abundant on the maples. 



Another feature, at this mature 

 stage of the insect, is the secretion 

 of a large amount of nectar. This 

 falls on the leaves below, so as to 

 fairly gum them over, as though 

 thev were varnished. This nectar 



