8 Circular 100 



The Azalea Lace Bug 



Stephanitis pyrioides Scott 9 (Fig. 7, 8, 9) 



This lace-bug has been present in New Jersey for the past 

 several years, but only recently has it become, seriously injurious. 

 John Scott 10 described it as pyrioides and Horvath in 1905 11 con- 

 tributed to synonymy by renaming it azalea. 



Van Duzee in his check list of the "Hemiptera of America, 

 North of Mexico", lists it as Stephanitis pyrioides Scott. It has a 

 wide distribution in New Jersey, having been found at Arlington, 

 Rutherford, Far Hills, Riverton, Palmyra, Springfield, Nutley and 

 New Brunswick. It was undoubtedly introduced into New Jersey 

 in the egg stage on evergreen azaleas from Japan, as quite a few 

 Japanese azaleas have been imported into New Jersey during the 

 past few years. 



Azalea indica and Azalea ammna, as well as numerous other 

 varieties, have been found infested, the deciduous ones however not 

 as much as the evergreen ones. The injury is caused by the nymphs 

 and adults feeding on the under surfaces, abstracting the sap and 

 causing a discoloration of the foliage on the upper surface. In 

 severe infestations, the leaves become almost white, many of them 

 drying completely and dropping. The under surfaces are also dis- 

 figured by the excrement of the bugs. 



The winter is passed in the egg stage, each egg being 0.4 mm. 

 long and 0.18 mm. wide, smooth, white and flask-shaped, with the 

 neck bent to one side. They are deposited in the under surface of 

 a leaf along the mid-rib and larger veins, being found as a rule in 

 the younger leaves. Each egg is inserted in the tissue with the cap 

 extending slightly above the leaf surface, each cap being visible 

 as a whitish, oval or irregular, circular ring. Sometimes, but not 

 always, the cap is covered with a brownish scab-like substance. 

 From one to ninety eggs have been found in a single leaf. Hatching 

 takes place about the latter part of May in central and southern 

 New Jersey. There are 5 nymphal stages and the length of each 

 varies from 3 to 6 days. In southern New Jersey there are 3 

 broods, the average length of each being about one month and the 

 summer eggs requiring about two weeks for hatching. 



On account of the extended oviposition period, it is possible 

 to find all stages feeding together at the same time. Spraying with 

 whale-oil soap at the rate of 5 or 6 pounds to 50 gallons of water 



9Dickerson, E. L., and Weiss, H. B., 1917. The Azalea Lace Bug, 



Stephanitis pyrioides Scott. In Ent. News, v. 28, p. 101. 



10 Scott, John, 1874. On a Collection of Hemiptera Heteroptcra from 

 Japan, Descriptions of Various New Genera and Species. In Ann Mag. Nat. 

 Hist., ser. 4, v. 14, p. 440. 0. 



n Horvath, G., 1905. Tingitidae novae vel minus cognitae e regione palae- 

 arctica. Ann. Mus. Hung., v. 3, p. 568; also 1906 Ann Mus. Hung., v. 4, 

 P- 555. 



