REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I913 59 



False maple scale (Phenacoccus acericola King) . 

 There were a number of inquiries concerning this insect during the 

 summer, though in a general way it was not so abundant and in- 

 jurious as in earlier years. A very abundant infestation was 

 located September 24th on certain trees at Mount Vernon, a little 

 east and south of the New Haven Railroad station. Some of these 

 trees were so badly infested that practically every leaf bore 6 to 25 

 of the conspicuous cottony masses indicating females, while the 

 portions between the adult insects were thickly spotted and in 

 some instances practically coated with the numerous yellowish 

 young. The trunks of these trees were liberally plastered with the 

 white cocoons of the male and, in some places, fairly covered with 

 yellowish masses of the young. This local outbreak was evidently 

 the culmination of a series of generations and apparently very re- 

 stricted in extent. 



A number of small parasites and the beneficial ladybeetle, 

 Hyperaspis signata var. b i n o t a t a , were obtained from 

 this material. A peculiar obscure, yellowish gray Syrphid larva was 

 observed among the scale insects ; later it transformed to a some- 

 what similar though stouter puparium from which the imago of 

 Baccha fascipennis Wied. was obtained. Several other 

 natural enemies are known to live at the expense of this scale 

 insect. 



The sugar maples, although so very badly infested with this 

 scale insect, did not seem to be seriously injured, aside from a 

 somewhat thinner, paler foliage. This latter development came so 

 late in the season, September 24th, that it probably would not 

 have any very material effect upon the vitality of the tree. 



Spruce bud scale (Physokermes piceae Schr. ) . Spec- 

 imens of Norway spruce infested by this insect were received 

 June I2th from Mr Arthur Dummett, Mount Vernon, N. Y. An 

 examination of one twig evidently representing a condition on a 

 portion of a tree or perhaps entire trees showed this scale insect 

 to be numerous at the base of the branches or new growth. The 

 peculiar budlike enlargements contained numerous pale purplish, 

 broadly oval eggs which would probably hatch the latter part of 

 July. One scale was infested by parasites. Specimens of this in- 

 sect were received from other localities and in several instances 

 from trees which were also infested by the spruce gall aphid, 

 Chermes abietis Linn. 



