SCALE INSECTS 



the adult appears. It is unfortunate that such a good- 

 looking insect should be so destructive in its larval state, 

 as its greenish colour and transparent wings are of an 

 attractive description. Spraying with a nicotine soap- 

 wash, paraffin emulsion, etc., is recommended, but it 

 would be wise to consult the work on " Pests " already 

 referred to, as it is outside the scope of this popular 

 treatise to do more than draw the reader's attention to 

 the matter. The Coccidce, or Scale Insects, next call 

 for notice by way of concluding our studies of the Order 

 Rhynchota. These have acquired their name from the 

 scale-like appearance of the females of many of the 

 species. The males are delicate looking creatures, and 

 only possess one pair of wings. These Scale-Insects 

 attack such plants as apple, apricot, ash, beech, currant, 

 elm, gooseberry, peach, pear, plum, vine, and willow. 

 One species is so-called because it resembles a mussel, 

 another is somewhat like a small oyster-shell. Spray- 

 ing with a caustic alkali wash is an effective remedy. 

 It is only within recent years that close study has been 

 made of these and other enemies of the husbandman, 

 and any young naturalist, desirous of aiding the food- 

 production of his country, would do well to specialise 

 in some branch of pest-study, so as to help complete 

 the full life-histories of these minute creatures, and 

 others might equally well concentrate their efforts upon 

 the best remedies that can be employed for dealing 

 with them. 



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