Insects Injurioiis to the Apple. 



133 



The Permanent Apple Aphis. 



{AjiJils jioiiii, De (ieer = J. nm/i, Fabricius.) 



The LiFE-HiSTuiiv is as follows. 



Tiie eggs hatch late in April. The eggs are elonoateil, oval, shiny 

 lilack bodies placed soiiietiiiies at the 1jase of the bmls or the axils 

 of the old leaves, but usually on the shoots. Many occur together, 

 usually large numliers on one shoot. Tliey are uudoul)tedly mostly 

 laid on the young shoots amongst the hairs (Fig. IOTj). 



The lar\-a' or lice are very sluggish at irrst, deep green or yello\v. 

 They grow but slowly, and are ready l:iy the time the leaves are com- 

 pletely open to commence attack. The lar\-a casts its skin three 

 times, and becomes the apter(.ius viviparous female. This female 

 shelters under the leaves, ^\-hich 

 she punctures, and the result is 

 the punctured area curls u]>. 



This first female or " stem 

 mother " is greenish to greenish- 

 grey, much mottled with yellow- 

 ish, globular in form, and has a 

 small spine on each edge of tlie 

 abdominal segments, and long, 

 black, straight, tapering corni- 

 cles ; the antenna- are yello\vish 

 basally, dark apically ; the legs 

 are vellowish-green, the knees, "''■ '-'''''"''<'«■ 



tips 01 the tibite and tarsi dark 



brown. Frequently I have noticed a mealy coating over this so- 

 called "mother-queen." She soon commences to produc(.'. living 

 young, which mature rapidly in warm, dry ^\'eathei', and cause the 

 leaves to curl up with remarkable rapidity. 



The progeny from the "mother-queen," according to Lucklon (2), 

 have a variety of colours, " as bright green, yellowish, ferruginous 

 red or brown." Frequent observations on this aphis in Kent, Cam- 

 bridgeshire, Surrey and Huntingdonshire, during the last twenty years 

 by myself, only resulted in finding a dull reddish variety, wliich 

 appeared to be a dimorphic form. Eecent observations have, how- 

 ever, shown this to Ije incorrect, more than one species occurring on 

 the same tree. Tlie true Ajiliis poml of De Geer is always green 

 or bright yellowish-green. The young from the " stem mother," 

 which are produced alive, are also green with two dark spots on tbie 

 head and dusky and green legs. 



