1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



155 



fntotnoIo^D. 



Dr. S. H. Kridelbauoh, Editur, Clarinda, Iowa. 



^"Send in the Insects.— Dr. K. is cbairman of the Com- 

 mittee on Entomology for the Statu Horticultural Society, 

 and would take it as a favor to be furnished with specimens 

 of insects from the various localities of the State, by mail 

 during this year. Those sending will please state all they 

 know concerning the habits of tne insects sent; what they 

 are found feeding on, etc. 



Oyster Shell Bark Louse— Aiiptdlolns Conchl- 

 forniiH, (iriiie]. 



This inscut, although becoming gcucriil, i.s not a 

 native one, but is of foreign origin — imported to 

 this country. It is a terrible enemy to apple and 

 pear trees, and may be justly dreaded by every 

 firuit grower. 



At this season of the year, and during late fells 

 and all winter the presence of this insect is easily 

 determined, by the small scales on the trees, a very 

 correct representation of which is given in the mar- 

 ginal figure of a twig of the apple tree. The 

 excrescences, or scales, which are the skins of 

 the mother oyster shell bark louse, are of a green- 

 ish brown color, underneath each. of which will be 

 found a number of milk-white eggs. These eggs 

 are deposited in the fall and remain all winter until 

 warm weather, about the first of June, when they 

 are hatched out and become very minule, living 



beings, so small that without 

 the use of a good michroscope 

 they are scarcely observable. 

 Presenting the appearance of 

 minute, natural dots on the 

 bark of the twigs they infest, 

 and would be liable to be taken 

 for such as they scarcely move 

 at all. At the approach of 

 autumn, when full grown, the 

 females deposit their eggs for 

 the next year's generation, cov- 

 ering them over with their own 

 dead and dry skins, in the man- 

 ner represented in the marginal figure. 



Many horticulturists mistake this insect and the 

 Native American Bark Lonse.— Coccus Harnm, for 

 Aphis Mali, the common apple tree plant louse, but 

 from what we have said, no close observer will be 

 liable to fall into this error. 



During the foil and winter the eggs are red and 

 not white in this native species; the scales or shells, 

 too, are not uniform in their shape, being splashed 

 around on the infested trees, in about equal num- 

 bers of rounded, oval-shaped scales, and long oyster- 

 shaped scales as represented somewhat magnificent 

 at A and B in the annexed cut. Some writers have 



accounted for this difference — claiming one to be 

 the male and the other the female, but the fact is 

 well established that this is not true, as under each 

 class of scales eggs are found. 



Remedies. — To keep bark-lice in check nature 

 has furni.shed a very small michroscopic creature — 

 a mite^known by the name oi Acariis Malus, Shi- 

 nier, which preys unmercifully on the bark-louse 

 and its eggs ; and it is perhaps due to the presence 

 of this tiny being that the native species of lice do 

 not become more numerous than they are. Mites 

 are not true insects, but belong to the class of Spi- 

 ders — Arachnida ; their head and throax are one 

 body, without any division — not cut into. It 

 requires the aid of a good pocket-lens to discover 

 the presence of these little fellows on infested trees. 



The Twice-stabbed Lady-bird, Ohilocorus binuln- 

 erus, Muls., is known to prey on bark-lice, both in 

 its larvaj and perfect state, and a few of these put on 

 an infested tree will soon show signs of its good 

 work. 



The Lady-bird family is a bug about the size of 

 one-half of a common garden pea, and much resem- 

 bles it in shape, the one from the forest is black 

 and red, while those of the garden are pink with 

 black spots. A valuable species of insects which 

 should by no means ever be harmed or destroyed ; 

 of its history we shall have something to say in the 

 future. 



Artificial remedies for these terrible orchard 

 pests may be summed up thus : Where it is prac- 

 tical scrape off the scales, lice and eggs under them, 

 and burn the scrapings. Where scraping is not 

 practical, as on the ends of the twigs, cut them, the 

 twigs off and burn them, or thoroughly brush them 

 with a .stifl" brush, and burn the matter brushed off; 

 where neither of these remedies cannot be used, 

 wash the affected parts with petroleum or kerosene, 

 as no wash except one of an oily nature will pene- 

 trate the scales. During a period of about three 

 days, occurring in the last ot May or first of June, 

 depending on the character of the season, the eggs 

 of bark-lice are hatched out ; after which hatching 

 the lice have only an active period of about the 

 same length of time, three days, and while in this 

 condition is the only time much can be done with 

 them with washes; strong soap suds freely syr- 

 ringed over trees infested Is about the only efficient 

 remedy. 



'■ This insect is so small that no appearance of life 

 or insect form can be detected in it with the naked 

 eye. The branches of trees infested with it have 

 the appearance of being covered with a scaly in- 

 crustation, under which the insect lies, except two 

 or three days, in each year, when they leave the 

 old scales and crawl around over the trees and es- 

 tablish new locations, thus effecting their spread 

 over more surface. Under a good magnifying glass 

 they appear as represented in this figure. 



