INSECTS AND THEIR CONTROL 241 



work of spraying for the control of any of the plant-lice, the 

 greatest care must be exercised in order that practically all 

 of the lice receive an application of the spray. 



352. Mites. Under the term "mites" is included a num- 

 ber of the so-called red-spiders (Fig. 125). These often do 

 considerable injury to the foliage of fruit-trees and other 

 plants. Three species are common. These are known as the 

 brown or clover or almond mite, the two-spotted mite, and 

 the citrus mite. Of the three species, the two most commonly 

 seen are the brown and the two-spotted mite. The former 

 may be found during the winter season in the egg stage, the 

 eggs being deposited about the buds or in the crotches of 

 deciduous fruit-trees. They are tiny red objects of a glassy 

 appearance which remain unhatched until warm weather 

 comes in the spring. As soon as the buds begin to unfold, 

 the tiny red mites hatch from the eggs and begin to feed. 



The citrus red-spider also spends the winter in the egg 

 stage on deciduous fruit-trees. There might be more or less 

 confusion as to which species was present, in the mind of one 

 who is untrained in entomology, but the eggs may be differ- 

 entiated by the following character : In the case of the citrus 

 species, the egg is more or less flattened at the poles and bears 

 a short stem on the upper surface to which are sometimes 

 attached fine threads that anchor it to the leaf. These are 

 absent in the case of the spherical shaped brown mite egg. 

 The two-spotted mites differ from the other two species in 

 their hibernating habits, as they may be found during the 

 winter in the soil about fruit-trees. The early injury to 

 fruit-trees which takes place is almost sure to be that of the 

 brown mite, while about midsummer, June or July, when the 

 weather becomes hot, the two-spotted mite frequently be- 

 comes very abundant. 



This two-spotted mite is a web-spinning form and, wherever 

 prevalent, the foliage of infested trees is covered with a fine 

 gauze. There is no web present when brown mite is the 



