PLANT LICE AND ANTS 303 



troubles in this line with suggestion of ways to meet them in ad- 

 dition to the notes of particular pests which have been given in 

 some of the chapters on various vegetables. 



Plant Lice or Aphides. Of all garden pests the large group 

 of species of winged and wingless insects known as plant lice are 

 probably the worst. They attack nearly all vegetables and if not 

 checked will destroy whatever they attack. They are sometimes 

 checked by their natural enemies such as lady birds or by unfavor- 

 able weather conditions, but in the garden one should be ready to 

 attack them at first appearance with the remedies just described 

 for sucking insects. Their presence should be suspected whenever 

 one sees ants visiting his plants. The ant as a rule is not directly 

 a plant pest but he is indirectly, for he cherishes the plant to grow 

 lice for his use. Therefore, when you see ants running up and 

 down a plant spray to kill the aphis. The ant does not wait until 

 the leaves begin to get curled and misshapen. And if the grower 

 waits for such signs of distress it will be too late to do much for it. 

 As soon as their growth begins the undersides of the leaves should 

 be examined for lice and such examination should continue at short 

 intervals and as soon as any are seen the plants should be sprayed 

 with a nozzle which will hit the undersides of the leaves. They 

 can be killed with ordinary soap suds if the fight is early and often. 



Where the plant lice are found strongly established on a single 

 plant or a few plants or hills of plants and not elsewhere it is often 

 desirable to proceed heroically. Early in the spring the insect is 

 often thus limited to a very small number of plants upon which they 

 become exceedingly abundant before developing wings and spread- 

 ing generally over the field. When this is the case sprinkle gasoline 

 on each of the early infested vines and set fire to it, thus killing all 

 the aphids as well as the plant. This practice may not prevent the 

 final general infection of the field, but delays the time of infestation 

 very appreciably and gives you a chance to keep ahead of the pest 

 by spraying as has been described above. 



In a home garden squash, melon and other vines can be dosed 

 for plant lice by turning the vines over ; taking up the end of each 

 runner and carrying it back over the center of the hill. This inverts 

 most of the leaves for a thorough drenching without undue loss of 

 labor and material. Care is required that blossoms and young fruit 

 are not damaged, and it cannot well be done after the fruit reaches 

 much size. 



Killing Ants. Though ants do not injure plants in the ways 

 usually attributed to them, their work in cherishing and colonizing 

 plant lice indicates that they should be destroyed it is easy to get 

 rid of them in a small space like a house garden. Professor Wood- 



