PEAR INSECTS 327 



escapes from a minute perforation at base of bud ; probably two 

 <)roods. 



Treatment. — Burn twigs before the beetle escapes. 



Pear Psylla {Psylla pyricola) . — These minute, yellowish, flat- 

 bodied, sucking insects are often found working in the axils of 

 the leaves and fruit early in the season. They develop into mi- 

 nute, cicada-like jumping-lice. The young psyllas secrete a large 

 quantity of honey-dew, in which a peculiar black fungus grows, 

 giving the bark a characteristic sooty appearance. There may 

 be four broods annually, and the trees are often seriously 

 injured. 



Treatment. — Clean culture ; remove rough bark from trunks 

 and larger limbs to discourage adults from hibernating on the 

 trees, and spray with miscible oils while trees are dormant. Spray 

 with lime-sulfur wash at strengths used to combat scale, 

 just before leaves appear, to destroy eggs. After blossoms have 

 dropped, spray with whale-oil soap, 1 pound to 5 or 7 gallons 

 of water ; kerosene emulsion diluted with 8 to 12 parts of water ; 

 or standardized tobacco decoctions at strengths recommended on 

 containers. If psyllas are abundant, trees should be frequently 

 sprayed. (New York Experiment Station.) 



Pear Thrips (Euthrips pyri). — Minute insects, sV "ich in length, dark 

 brown when adult, white with red eyes when young, that attack 

 the opening bud and young fruits in early spring. They suck 

 the sap from the tender growth, and the females lay eggs in the 

 fruit stems, causing a loss of the crop. The nymphs hibernate 

 in the ground a few inches from the surface. A serious pest in 

 California and recently introduced into New York. 



Treatment. — Thorough cultivation during October, November, 

 and December (in California). Make two applications of 

 " Black-leaf " tobacco extract, 1 gallon in 60 gallons of 2 per 

 cent distillate oil emulsion, the first just as the fruit buds begin 

 to open, the second just after the petals fall. In the East it 

 may be controlled by timely applications of tobacco extract and 

 whale-oil soap. 

 Pecan. Bud-moth (Proteopteryx deludana). — A brownish caterpillar 

 about one-half inch in length, feeding on the opening buds in early 

 spring and on the underside of the leaves in summer. 



