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RED SPIDER. 



Red Spider. Tetranychus tiliarum, Miill. ; T. telarius, Claparede. 



Tetkanychus tiliaeum. 



Red Spicier of Lime trees (nat. size, microscopic) ; web with eggs in dried state, 

 and after being moistened ; all enormously magnitied. 



The Mites, or Acari, commonly known as " Ked Spider," are an 

 infestation which is prevalent on so many kinds of plants, notably on 

 Hops, leafage of wall fruit trees, besides many others, as leafage of 

 French Beans, &c., that it is perhaps most convenient to notice them 

 under their own popular name. In the present instance I only allude 

 to them as having been again noticed as a seriously injurious attack to 

 Lime trees, and also on account of a soft-soap and sulphur compound 

 having been found to answer in getting rid of them. 



These Mites belong to the division known as the " Spinning 

 Mites," from their power of spinning a web over the surface of the 

 leaves, or even the trunks of trees, which may be infested by them. 

 This web is woven of such exceedingly fine threads, that it either does not 

 show at all (unless examined through a magnifyiug-glass), or else only 

 shows as a kind of silky lustre, or glazy appearance on the leaves or 

 trunks of infested plants or trees. But it is the web (figured from life 

 at heading) which makes the great difficulty in dealing with "Red 

 Spider." 



The threads are so interlaced that they form a very protecting 

 shelter, to which the eggs can be attached as figured, and which helps 

 also to secure the Mites from injury. When fully developed these 

 Mites have four pairs of legs, and are of an oval shape, with head, 

 body, and abdomen forming one solid mass. The head is furnished 

 with an apparatus of beak or sucker, and minute nippers, by means of 

 which it draws away the juices from the attacked plants, and causes 

 the mischief which we know only too well. Near the end of the tail is 

 a minute protuberance from which it produces its threads, and at the 



