The Canadian Horticulturist. 

 THE RED SPIDER. 



345 



(Tetranyehus telarius, Linn ) 



.yigl&i ERHAPS there is no pest that does so much damage as the red mite, 

 JPlj|pij|ffc> or, as it is improperly called, the "red spider." All florists have had 

 l$li#rr it to deal with, especially those who grow roses. It is not only an 

 enemy to the rose, but is equally destructive when it attacks any 

 tender plant. It has been found upon the currant and gooseberry, 

 where it did considerable damage to the foliage. It has also done 

 harm to quince and plum trees. 



The red mite, Tetranyehus telarius (Fig. ooo), has been found 

 on a great variety of plants, and from its shape and habits it was supposed to 

 be the same insect in every instance This fact has been proved, as the rearing 

 of these specimens has brought forth the same species. The mites vary much 

 in color, from a greenish to a brick red. This great difference in color may 

 depend upon the character of the material in the alimentary canal or upon the 

 age of the insect, the older ones being of a brick-red 

 color. 



The " red spider " is very small, being only about 

 one twenty-fourth of an inch long. The body is of 

 an oval form. The legs are eight in number, in the 

 mature mite, two pairs extending forward and two 

 backward, the first pair being the longest (see Fig.) 385. 

 The eyes, which are two in number, are very small, 

 and can be seen only by means of a highly magnifying 

 power. On the posterior portion of the body, and on 

 the ventral side, is the spinning organ. From this 

 habit of spinning a web, many people are led to^"* 

 believe this insect a spider, while in reality it belongs 

 to the spinning mites. The mandibles, or jaws, are 

 short, and are fitted for cutting. Just between the 

 mandibles is a barbed sucking apparatus. With the 

 jaws the mite tears away a portion of the leaf, and then inserting its sucking 

 tube into the ruptured leaf, takes up the juices of the plant, and thus destroys 

 the cells. This gives to the leaves "a yellowish or greyish 

 appearance above, with some patches of a lighter shade, 

 forming a kind of marbling." The edges of the leaves are 

 rolled back on the under side, and the leaf beneath is 

 whitish and shiny. The under-side of leaves having the 

 above-mentioned appearance will be found literally covered 

 with eggs and mites, in all stages of development and 

 growth. 



In the construction of the web the feet aid greatly, and 

 by means of the hairs at the ends of the claws the web is 



Fig. 385. 



