APPLE PESTS 



537 



>atiiral Enemies 



The minute black ladybird beetles 

 (Stethorus vagaiis and Stethorus picipes) 

 and the larvae of the syrphid flies prey 

 upon this mite. 



E. O. EssiG 



Resplendent Shield Bearer 



Coptodisca splendoriferella 



This leaf miner attacks apples, quince, 

 and native hawthorns. When the larva 

 is ready to change to a pupa, it cuts out 

 the part of the leaf it has mined and 

 drags it away to the twigs, where it is 

 secured as a small cocoon about one-eighth 

 Inch in length, and remains with the en- 

 closed pupa until the following spring. 



The larva is legless, flattish, the head 

 dark brown, the body lighter brown with 

 a darker shade along the middle above 

 and beneath. 



The adult is a beautiful little moth, the 

 head and outer half of the front wings 

 golden, the bases gray. A silvery streak 

 extends inward from both anterior and 

 posterior margins of the front wing to- 

 ward the tip, but they do not meet. 



The insect is not very common and 

 those I have secured have been badly in- 

 fested with a small yellow and black 

 Hymenopterous parasite. 



H. Gakmax 



Rosy Apple Aphis. — See Aphirls. 



Saddle-Back Caterpillar 



Sitine stitnulea 



A slug-like caterpillar with four con- 

 spicuous horn-like spiny processes, one 

 at each side near the front end of the 

 body and the other pair near the hind 

 end. There are other smaller processes 

 at each end. Body purple in front and 

 behind, between, pea-green, with an oval, 

 saddle-like area in the middle of the back, 

 the green surrounding it having some ap- 

 pearance of a saddle blanket. Length 

 about one inch. 



The pupa is found in a brown papery 

 cocoon, formed against branches or other 

 objects. 



The adult moth e:;i;ands about 1 44 

 inch. The fore wings are of a deep red- 

 dish brown color; hind wings, much paler. 



The insect is never common enough to 



be the occasion of any anxiety. Besides 

 apple, it feeds upon oak, cherry, corn, 

 and other plants. 



The San Jose Scale 



Aspidiotus pernicious, Comm. 



By H. F. Wilson 



Xatiire and Extent of Injury 



One can hardly fail to locate this insect 

 where it is present in unchecked num- 

 bers, for the appearance of its host will 

 be such that one who is familiar with the 

 resulting Injury can readily distinguish 

 the more or less circular ash-gray, shield- 

 like scales on bark, leaves or fruit. Owing 

 to the fact that the scales closely resemble 

 the bark of most of our fruit trees, they 

 may be working on a tree for some time 

 before their presence is discovered. 

 When they are abundant, the fruit will 

 usually be infested with few to many 

 scales; this is the first Indication that 

 the average orchardist will notice. When 

 allowed to develop unchecked, they soon 

 cover branches and limbs, which, as a re- 

 sult of the injury, die in one or more 

 seasons; following this, entire trees die 

 from lack of nourishment. 



It has been said that the San Jose scale 

 is the only scale which causes the redden- 

 ing of the bark, but this is not true as 

 the same effect is caused by other scale 

 insects. This is quite characteristic of 



Fig. 1. .San .lose Scale. 

 (Eular.ged \ 



