HANDBOOK OX INSECT ENEMIES OF FLOWERS AND SHRUBS 43 



light to a dark brown. It is about ] : 



inch in length and a little less in width. 

 This species feeds also on arborvitae. 

 ardesia. bachelor's button, begonia, 

 bougainvillea, camellia, chrysanthemum, 

 crape myrtle, croton. cycas. mountain- 

 holly, oleander, palm. rose, and rubber 

 plant. 



Treatment. — Spray two or three 

 times at intervals of 10 days with 

 nicotine sulfate and soap or a thio- 

 cyanate solution (p. 102 . 



Other Scale Insects 



Various mealybugs and so-called soft 

 scales may become a serious problem in 

 ferns, especially in flower boxes in the 

 Xorth. In the warmer regions they are 

 troublesome in gardens where ferns are 

 grown for ornamentals. 



Treatment and prevention. — Same 

 treatment as given for mealybugs on 

 page 31. 



Other Pests of Ferns 



Page 



Yellow woollv bear 3 



Aphids 9 



Grasshoppers and crickets 9 



Black vine weevil 93 



GAILLARDIA 



Gaillardia is subject to attack by 

 many of the insects that feed on a wide 

 range of plants. The following, which 

 have been discussed elsewhere, are often 

 encountered: 



Page 



Asiatic garden beetle 21 



Stalk borer 34 



Four-lined plant bug 94 



Leafhoppers In 



Flower thrips 74 



Aphids 9 



Red spiders 11 



GARDENIA 



Citrus Whitefly 



In the Southern States, where gar- 

 denia, or cape-jasmine, grows well out 

 of doors, the citrus whitefly (Dialeu- 

 rodes citri (Ashm.)) is often a serious 

 pest. The adults and larvae extract 

 the plant juices and cause an unhealthy 

 appearance. They also excrete honey- 

 dew, upon which an unsightly sooty 

 mold grows and spoils the ornamental 

 value of the plants. This insect also 

 attacks allainanda, Boston ivy, Eng- 

 lish ivy, crapemyrtle, laurel, lilac, privet. 

 Osage-orange, smilax, trumpetvine, um- 

 brella-tree, and citrus trees. The adults 

 are very tiny, pale yellow, with white 

 powdered wing-, -imilar to those of the 



greenhouse whitefly shown in figure 31, 

 page 1>*. The larvae are thin, flat, 

 oval, and about l i inch in diameter. 

 They are nearly transparent, hence are 

 difficult to see on the under sides of the 

 leave.-. The pupae (fig. 70) are similar 

 in shape and size and vary in color 

 from yellowish to brownish. They 

 -omewhat resemble small scale insects. 

 Other species of whiteflies also attack 

 gardenia. 



Treatment. — Same as for green- 

 house whitefly (p. 18). 



Figure 70. — Pupae of the citrus white- 

 fly on an orange leaf. About one- 

 half natural >ize. 



Soft Scale 



The soft scale (Coccus hesperidum L.), 

 also known a- the soft brown scale, i- a 

 rather serious pest of gardenia, espe- 

 cially in the Southern State- and Cali- 

 fornia. The insect is soft, greenish 

 brown or yellowish green, often with a 

 marbled or ridged effect across the back. 

 It i> oval, rather flat fig. 71 . and is 

 nearly % inch long. It often resembles 

 the color of the plant part on which it 

 occurs. The soft scale encrusts the 

 twigs and leave- and imparts a lumpy 

 appearance. As a result of its sucking 

 of the .-ap, the plant growth becomes 



