COTTON INSECTS 129 



Control — No adequate methods of control 

 known; attempts are being- made to exterminate in 

 this country. 



The red spider "''' (TcfrauycJuts fclariits) 

 O r de r — Ac a r i n a 



The red spider has been reported on 183 species 

 of plants many of which are cultivated forms ; it is 

 a serious pest in greenhouses and one of the injuri- 

 ous pests of cotton. 



The winter is passed in the south in the adult 

 stage on several wild plants and especially on culti- 

 vated violets; the eggs, laid on the undersides of 

 the leaves of cotton, hatch in about 4 days and the 

 female mite becomes mature in about 10 days; the 

 first spring brood matures during March or early 

 April in South Carolina and there is opportunity 

 for from 12 to 17 broods. 



Control — Destroy all weeds, especially poke- 

 weed, about the fields and plow fields in fall if 

 possible ; destroy or spray cultivated violets ; watch 

 for infested cotton plants early and pull them up 

 and destroy them; finally spray cotton with potas- 

 sium sulphide, i oz. to 2 gallons of water, or with 

 lime-sulphur or flour paste, i pound flour to i gal- 

 lon water made into a paste and then diluted at the 

 rate of i part of paste to 9 parts of water. 



OTHER INSECTS INJURIOUS TO COTTON 



Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii). 

 Cotton root-louse (Aphis maidiradicis). 

 Cotton stalk-borer (Ataxia crypt a). 

 Cotton stainer (Dysdcrciis suUtrellus), 



26 McGregor— U, S. Dept. Agr., Par's' Bull. 831. 



