APPLE PESTS 



525 



Fig. 1. The Fruit Tree Leaf Syneta : Pupa 

 and adult. (Original) 



are practically no published notes on its 

 habits and life history. 



The adults suddenly begin to appear in 

 the spring at the time when the apple 

 blossoms are opening and are very abund- 

 ant for a few weeks, when they suddenly 

 begin to disappear and in a few days can 

 only be found in scattering numbers. 



We have been unable to locate the eggs 

 but suppose they are deposited in the 

 ground upon roots of some kind. During 

 1912 larvae dug from the ground beneath 

 apple trees formed into pupae and later 

 changed to the adult stage. At that 

 time it was impossible to tell whether 

 the larvae were feeding upon the roots of 

 apple or upon the roots of some grass or 

 weed as the roots of all three were more 

 or less intermingled. A number of lar- 

 vae were found at a depth of fourteen 

 inches below the surface of the ground. 



The only injury which we are acquaint- 

 ed with is that done by the adults and at 

 times this is quite serious. When the 

 blossoms are opening in the spring, the 

 adults can be found feeding on the 

 petals and one would suppose that the 

 fruit would suffer as a result, but appar- 

 ently the principal parts of the flower are 

 left uninjured. Later in the season the 

 leaves of apples and prunes are the prin- 

 cipal parts eaten, and oftentimes trees 

 will have nearly every leaf with from 

 one to several holes eaten out. The worst 

 and most serious injury is done to young 

 grafts, especially where whole orchards 

 are being grafted over. These grafts 

 where the leaves are continually eaten 

 away for several years are killed, and 

 consequently the tree itself is lost. 



Remedies 



Such remedies as have been tried are 

 more or less unsatisfactorj'. Arsenate of 



lead in ordinary strengths fails to de- 

 stroy the beetles, and stronger strengths 

 seem to be only partially successful. With 

 young grafts the beetles can be kept 

 away by the use of cheesecloth sacks 

 placed over the grafts. 



Greedy Scale 



Aspidiottts cameJUae Sign 

 Aspidiotus rapax Comst. 



General Appearance 



This scale greatly resembles the San 

 Jose scale, but is somewhat lighter in 

 color, larger, much more convex, being 

 noticeably high and with exuvlse near 

 one side. The shell is thin, showing the 

 vellow body beneath. 



Fig. 1. Greedy Scale (Aapidiotus camelliae 

 Sign.) around calyx of apple. fCal. Hort. Com.) 



Distribution 



One of the commonest scale insects and 

 found in wild as well as cultivated areas 

 throughout the state. 



Food Plants 



This species attacks a very large list 

 of plants, though it has never yet be- 

 come a serious pest to any horticultural 

 or agricultural product. Among the food 

 plants reported in California are quince, 

 eucalyptus, fuchsia, English ivy, moun- 

 tain holly, walnut, myrtle, olive, cotton- 

 wood, almond, cherry, pomegranate, pear, 

 apple, rose, willow, California bay or 

 pepperwood and grape. 



