176 



Insect Pests. 



hazel, liorse cliestmit, laurel, cherry, sloe and euoiiynnis. Eeh (3) 

 also .nives, in addition, I'mims iiniiniinni. It seems to he generally 

 spread over Europe, and Pei'iiald records it 

 in Xova Scotia, a probahle introduction. It 

 Seems to he rare in Wales and Scotland. 

 I found it on apples near (Jricciclh in 1S89 

 in some numhers, hut I helieve they had 

 been recently imported from the Midlands. 



LiFE-HlSTOIiY. 



This insect is subject to much variation; 

 the old adult female after death is dusky 

 chestnut -hrown, of spherical shape and 

 varies in lenoth about i to nearly ^ inch, 

 rather less in breadth. 



The nuile is a pale crimson with two 

 liroad short wings, two long tail filaments ; 

 the puparium is small and elongated oval. 

 The male occurs in *\,pril ami May. The 

 eggs are pale yellowish-white and hatch at 

 the end of the summer into pink larva; 

 wliich soon become orange and crimson or 

 red-brown. Tlie first moult takes place 

 before winter, when they are found on the twigs as small elongate 

 brown bodies nuly y.-,- inch long. In spring dusk}' transverse stripes 

 appear and tlie sexes cair be separated. Bv the time the males are 

 leadj' to hatch, the females are mature, and the winged males fertilise 

 them. Egn'-laying then commences. A healthy a\"erage female, says 

 Newstead, lays about 2,000 egus. 



IF. E. 

 FIG. 14::. — Hr.iAW soft ^lale. 



{U: 



Xatl'h.m. Exemies. 



Xewstead recoi-ds a small hymenojiterous parasite [BluxfofJi ri:'/ 

 scricrii , Dal.) as a great enemy. This small parasite pri-iduces deformi- 

 ties in the scale insect altering its external form. "When the parasite 

 escapes, a small hide is seen in the dried female (so-called scale). 



Birds also destroy numhers. 



TliEAT.Ml'.XT. 



This insect, should it appear in large numliers in a plantation, 

 would be best attacked by paratlin enrulsion in late sunnner after the 

 larva.' have hatched. 



