384 



Insect Pests. 



from tlieni becomes a black, sticky mass, and tins damages the 

 leaves below them as well as the fruit. 



In colour tills aphis is pale green with deeper green mottlings, 

 and a dark median stripe, and is covered -witli white meal. They 

 cluster close together under the leaves until a whole leaf is smothered 

 by them. Then winged viviparous females are produced of a bright 

 vellowish-green with dark green markings on the thorax, and tri- 

 angular ones on the abdomen, and with red eyes. They are covered 

 with, a certain amount of meal. TJiese winged females fly from tree 



to tree. 



In the early autumn they 

 usually all disappear from the 

 plums. Unfortunately, we do 

 not know anything definite re- 

 garding the life-cycle. Walker 

 stated that it is the same as the 

 aphis found on reeds, etc., known 

 as Hjialoiitcnix k nim'l m ix, and I 

 am inclined to think the two 

 are the same. Buckton does not 

 think this likely. I have never 

 been alile to detect any sexual 

 generation i)n plums, and have 

 always noticed that they sud- 

 denly disappear frimi the prunes 

 in late aitttimn. De <4eer, how- 

 ever, stated that he found this 

 aphis on an apiricot and de- 

 scribes both winged male and 

 windless female, and that in 

 September he found an egg with 

 a woolly coat fixed near a leaf bud. 



This may have taken place, but it is certainly not the usual 

 habit. We may safely say that the ]\Iealy Aphis comes to the prunes 

 in summer nnd leaves them in late autumn. The specimens sent 

 from Scotland were winged and wingless females and pupa'. The 

 winged females were viviparous and their young were de[iosited on 

 jjrune leaves and reproduced young again ami then died oif; no 

 sexual brood occurred. 



It has also been found on the ]ieach and nectarine, and in Italy 

 has Iteen observed on grape vines. 



It is usually \\'orst on A'ictorias and Czars, but it may also occur 



■n;. i!.')tl. — THE ^[J'^AI.V I'LL 51 Al'HIS 

 {l/f/fl/oi'tcri'.s ju-"ni) oil k-ave?^. 



