p 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 8 1 



at Amherst, Mass., that the honey dew attracted swarms of bees and 

 this in turn called attention to the infestation.^ 



In 1914^ the species was recorded as occurring at Albany and 

 Port Henry, in addition to the locality given above, and the state- 

 ment was made that it was probably widely and somewhat generally 

 distributed in the State, a belief which has been supported by subse- 

 quent developments. It was rather common in 192 1 on spruce near 

 Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, and also on Norway spruce at 

 Buffalo, in which latter locality eight or ten of the scale insects 

 were found at the base of many branchlets of sickly trees. Nearby 

 healthy trees were free from the insect and, judging from general 

 conditions, it appears very probable that this scale insect may have 

 seriously weakened and presumably was an important factor in 

 killing branches and even large portions of Norway spruce trees 

 in at least one of Buffalo's parks. This conclusion was supported 

 by the observations of F. A, Fenton in 1917 on Norway spruce 

 about the University of Wisconsin campus. He states that it was 

 especially numterous on the lower branches, many of which were 

 killed by it and were rendered unsightly by a black fungus thriving 

 on the honey dew secreted by these insects. The excretion was 

 also very attractive to flies and especially to honey bees. 



The obscure character of infestation by scale insects, simulat- 

 ing almost exactly the appearance of buds, makes it especially dan- 

 gerous because the true condition is rarely appreciated until there 

 has been serious damage to groups of limbs and perhaps entire 

 trees. 



This scale insect winters in a partly grown condition on the 

 under side of spruce needles, becoming active the latter part of 

 March and early in April, and by the middle of that month the 

 females have established themselves upon the twigs. The males 

 issue within 2 weeks after the migration to the twigs. The females 

 become full grown early in June and the hatching young may be 

 found the latter part of July. Fortunately this species is subject 

 to attack by parasites, Holcencyrtus physokermis Gir. 

 and Cheiloneurus albicornis How. having been reared 

 from this insect by Mr Fenton. 



The most promising method of controlling this scale insect is by 

 spraying in early spring with a contact insecticide, especially with 

 an oil, as for the somewhat closely related Lecaniums. 



1 Econ. Ent. Jour., 2 : 466-67, 1919. 



2N^Y. State Mus. Bui. 180, p. 85, 1915-1916. 



