[nseds, etc., Injurious to the PI 



u»i. 



401 



BEETLE MITES. 



{Orlliiifi,J/r.) 



These mites ( Fi--. l!ii',)) take tlieir popular name from their liard 

 sliiny nature. Some are lilack, others reil or brick-dust red. 



One species, Orihu/n /njililu.rid, is very fre(pient on fruit trees, 

 especially plums and daursons. 



They are freipieutly tliought to fie injurious, liut no proper 

 evidence lias yet hovever been Ijrouoht forward to prove this, and in 

 all cases investigated fiy the writer they were found ndt only not to 

 be injurious, but to be actively beneficial, for they feed on lichens 

 and fungus spores. Tliey have been watclied feeding updu the fruit 

 organs of the canker fungus (Ncf'triu iJitisslntii}. 



A, ailiilt (hilHilK liijH'ihin'<( ; 11, iiyniiih ; C, sti.mnatk' oi^aii ; 



Ai and IW, claw.s. 



(/■■/■.„„ • ,1 T,:ii nook of A.jrlenltnriil Znohy,,: Theuhal.l .) 



They cluster togetlier in dense masses, hiding under moss, bark, 

 sacking, etc., and appear to hibernate in the adult condition. 



Tlie species T liave taken to be(l) Orilxifo oiiiiriila ris^Y^oeh, is 

 ajiparently the species named here, so I am inf irmed Ijy ilr, Cecil 

 Warburton. 



The mites recorded by me fi'om chestnuts and fruit in Sussex 

 were referred to Alliert ilichael and he identified them as 0. 

 orhicjilnrl.s (2), so tliat we appear to have at least two species on 

 fruit. 



In 1904 they were very afiundant in parts of Kent. 



Mr. Howard Chapman wrote that at Dartford he found " more 

 on plums than on pears and apples. On plums (Victorias and 

 Orleans), after takina' the grease bands off, there are noticed quite a 



2 1) 



