REPORT OF THE STATE ElSTTOMOLOGtSt 1913 55 



parasite, it emerging from collected material from the latter part 

 of November into the following February and constituting over 

 85 per cent of the total parasites bred. The next species in im- 

 portance is Aphelinus fuscipennis Howard, which ap- 

 pears to have an equally wide distribution and prolonged breeding 

 season and constituted about 12 per cent of the total parasites 

 reared. Coccophagus immaculatus Howard was ob- 

 tained in small numbers, and the same is true of Chiloneurus species 

 and Psyllaephagus species. The last named, however, was reared 

 in late January and early February from only one lot, in unusually 

 large numbers, which latter would seem to indicate that under 

 certain conditions it might be much more efficient than the two 

 preceding. 



It is certain that parasites of the San Jose scale were much 

 more abundant than has been observed before in New York State. 

 Several of these small forms are generally distributed, and in 1900 

 the late Dr J. B. Smith expressed the belief that Aphelinus 

 fuscipennis Howard, a species which he reared in numbers, 

 was established in New Jersey wherever San Jose scale had obtained 

 a foothold. The same year the late Prof. W. G. Johnson reared 

 thousands of this little insect from infested twigs collected in 

 Maryland orchards and advised correspondents not to burn branches 

 and twigs from infested trees during the fall and winter and thus 

 allow these minute insects an opportunity to escape in the spring. 

 This is sound advice and we would recommend such procedure in 

 all cases where parasites are found to be present in any numbers. 



The fact that parasites of the San Jose scale have been so abun- 

 dant the past season, by no means justifies the abandonment of 

 spraying, or even the relying in considerable measure upon the 

 good offices of these insects. It should be remembered that in 

 most cases the parasites become numerous enough to control the 

 scale only after the trees have been seriously injured. The middle 

 portion of one orchard, approximately a third of it, where parasites 

 were abundant, had been almost ruined by San Jose scale and 

 severe injury was not uncommon in others. The probabilities are 

 at least fair that the parasites will not be so abundant another 

 season and they may not render any material aid in controlling 

 the scale for another decade. Their appearance in extraor- 

 dinary numbers the past season may have been due in part at 

 least to unusually favorable climatic conditions. We have re- 

 peatedly investigated earlier statements to the effect that the San 



