Orchard Pests and their Control 363 



close to the woolly aphis in extent of injuries to the apple tree. 

 It also attacks the pear, the thorn, and the quince. 



This louse remains on the apple, or closely allied trees, through- 

 out the year and does not go on other trees or vegetables. The 

 first lice in the spring hatch from eggs that were deposited the 

 previous fall on the twigs. These first lice hatch a few days 

 before the buds open and are ready to insert their sharp beaks 

 into the first tender green tissue of the opening buds. They are 

 all females, and become fully grown in about two or three 

 weeks, when they begin giving birth to living young. From 

 this time on the lice increase very rapidly if they are not kept 

 down by their natural enemies or the insecticides of the 

 orchardist. 



At first all the lice are wingless, but by the 10th to the loth 

 of May in the warmer regions, and about two weeks later in the 

 cooler orchard sections, the winged lice begin to appear and to 

 fly from tree to tree and orchard to orchard with the prevailing 

 winds. About the first week in September little brown wingless 

 males and green wingless egg-laying females appear, and a little 

 later the females begin laying green eggs that soon turn black 

 upon the apple twigs. The freezing nights in November or early 

 December kill all the lice, and the eggs live over to hatch the 

 following spring. 



Treatment for this insect may be for the destruction of the 

 eggs and young lice before the buds open in the spring, or for 

 the destruction of the lice on the leaves during the growing season. 

 The early spring is the more important. There are two sprays 

 that may be used with equally good results when the trees are 

 dormant : 



Lime-sulfur mixture or Rex lime-sulfur, in dilutions down to 

 one gallon in eight gallons of water, have given good results. 



Black-leaf. This preparation may be used in the proportion 

 of one gallon in 25, or one gallon in 33 of water. 



For the destruction of plant-lice on the leaves, spray very 

 thoroughly and forcefully from all directions with Black Leaf, 

 one part in 70 of water, or with tobacco decoction, or with whale- 

 oil soap solution. 



