72 



INSECT RECORD FOR 1899 



square foot of surface. Evidently the skunks were doing a 

 very useful service in helping to reduce the numbers of this 

 pest. 



These insects are difficult to contend against by artificial 

 means. Breeding in grasslands, meadows and pastures are 

 often temporarily ruined by them, while crops planted on sod 

 lands are frequently destroyed. It will often pay when land 

 infested by these grubs is to be planted to strawberries or other 

 crops which they are liable to injure, to have a boy follow the 

 plow and collect the grubs as they appear in the furrow. In 

 this way a large amount of damage may frequently be pre- 

 vented at small cost. The grubs in infested meadows and 

 pastures may be destroyed by turning swine into the field. 



Evidence contin- 

 ues to a<3cumulate 

 that the Oyster- 

 shell Bark-lousi 

 (Mytilaspis pomo- 

 rum) is doing much 

 damage to the or- 

 chard industries of 

 New Hampshire, an 

 injury which is none 

 the less to be feared 

 because it is so often 

 overlooked. These 

 insidious insects are 

 present in. a very 

 large proportion of 

 our apple orchards, 

 although they do 

 most damage to 



Fig. 22 0>;ster-sliell bark-louse: r^ scales on ^^^ ^^^^ ^I 



twig; b, female scale, back view, magnified; c. '^ o 

 female scale and eggs, under-side, magnified : d, leSS neglected trees, 

 male scale, magnified. g^ looking care- 



fully at the bark of the twigs, branches, or trunk of a tree 

 where this insect is present one will see small grayish scales 

 resembling in form miniature oyster-shells; their general ap- 



d 



a 



