56 Indian Economic Entomology . [ Yol. H. 



got to the roots o£ his trees and uo remedies he can apply eventually de. 

 stroy them/' 



Under date November 13th, Mr. Duly writes: — "Out of about 

 400 apple trees I found about sis unmistakably affected. I cut all the 

 branches badly attacked and burned them : then mixed a solution of 

 soap (common country) and kerosine with a little turpentine and boil- 

 ing- watei', stirring round until it was of the consistency of butter. 

 After allowing it to cool I mixed one bottle of this with twelve of water 

 and applied with a garden syringe to the branches and roots. I also 

 applied the soapy congealed matter to any of the insects concealed in the 

 crevices of the trees and also to the trunks. I applied in the same man- 

 ner a mixture of lime and ashes with a little salt mixed. For the last tert 

 days none of these insects are visible and the kerosine and soap emulsion 

 does not appear to harm the trees. In some cases the branches attacked 

 have a knotty appearance like that of the hands of a person suffering from 

 chronic rheumatism. 1 have heard that planting tomato-plants in tlie 

 neighbourhood of apple trees alleviates the pest/'' ^ * Under date 

 January 1 890, Mr. Daly writes : — " My trial of the tomato-plants has led 

 to no further advance of the pests. I have each individual tree examined 

 by a gardener every morning, who is armed with a small pot of the emul- 

 sion and a brush, and if he perceives any new comers, they are treated with 

 a dose of the mixture. The trees attacked are now looking quite healthy, 

 and are apparently free from aphides, which, however, may come back." 



]t is probable that the aerial or trunk-inhabiting form at certain 

 seasons descends to the roots or to herbage in their vicinity, and again 

 with a change in the season ascends, leaving some members of the colo- 

 nies, however, always above or below. The tomato-plant may therefore 

 only serve as a source of food for the insect when it descends, and serves 

 to propagate it, and in no way protects the trees. In its aerial form at 

 any rate the insect confines itself to the apple in Europe and does not 

 accept any substitute. The brief account given above will, however, indi- 

 cate the points to be observed locally, for there can be little doubt that 

 some modifications in the habits of this insect must have arisen to suit it 

 to the comparatively strange climate of Conoor and Bangalore. 



Natural enemies. — It is probable that insects found to attack the 

 woolly Aphis in other countries will be represented in India. Amongst 

 these are spiders who spin their webs directly over the place where the 

 colony of young lice are found to devour thend at their leisure. The 

 next in efiiciency are the Chalcid flies (Report, Department Agriculture, 

 United States, 1879, p. 259, t. 6, f. 6 : Saunders, Ins. Inj. Fruits, f. 15). 

 The root-inhabiting form is attacked by a Syrphus fly, Pipiza racUcum, 

 Walsh & Riley (Saunders, Ins. Inj. Fruits, £. 2, 135, 136) in its larval 

 form, when it occurs as a footless maggot of a dirty yellow colour and 

 about quarter of an inch in length. The adult and larval forms of the 



