HANDBOOK OX INSECT ENEMIES OF FLOWERS AND SHRUBS 91 



herbaceous plants and shrubs. This 

 insect feeds by sucking the plant juices, 

 although often it is not especially inju- 

 rious. The young, however, which are 

 greenish, produce long masses of white 

 woolly matter (fig. 154) which they 

 scatter over the plants. The adult is 

 slightly over \ inch long and is dis- 

 tinguished by the whitish powdery cov- 

 ering over the dark-purplish or brown- 

 ish wings. The wings are folded verti- 

 cally against the sides of the body. 

 Both the young and the adults are very 

 active and often occur in large numbers. 

 The eggs are laid in slits in the bark in 

 early fall and hatch the following spring. 

 There is one generation a year in the 

 Northern States. 



Figure 154. — Nymph of the mealy 

 flata, covered with white wooly mat- 

 ter, on a stem. About twice natural 

 size. 



A closely related form, Ormenis sep- 

 tentrionalis (Spin.), with similar habits 

 may occur simultaneously with the 

 foregoing form. The adult is slightly 

 larger, pale bluish-green, and appar- 

 ently occurs later in the season. 



Treatment. — Same as recommended 

 for mealybugs on page 31. 



Prevention. — Locate and remove 

 any twigs or branches infested with eggs. 



Other Pests of Viburnum 



Pace 



Hornworms 4 



Potato flea beetle .. 8,67 



Flower thrips 74 



San Jose scale _ ... 57 



Oystershell scale 56 



Cottony maple soak... 47 



Red spiders 11 



Dogwood twig borer r 40 



VIOLET 



Violets are subject to attack by many 

 of the same insects that feed on pansy. 

 See insects listed under Pansv on page 

 65. 



VIRGINIA CREEPER 



Eight-Spotted Forester 



The caterpillars of the eight-spotted 

 forester (Alypia octomaculata (F.)) be- 

 come numerous in some years and 

 devour the foliage of Virginia creeper, 

 Boston ivy. and grape. When these 

 favored foods become scarce the insect 

 may feed on nearby plants. The full- 

 grown caterpillars are about 1 J 2 inches 

 long, with the body smaller at the head 

 end. They often are bluish-white, each 

 segment being banded with reddish or 

 orange, ringed with narrow black lines, 

 and marked with black dots (fig. 155). 

 The young caterpillars are not so dis- 

 tinctly marked. The moths are black, 

 with eight large yellowish spots on the 

 wings. There is one generation of 

 caterpillars in the North, but farther 

 south at least two generations occur 

 each season. 



Treatment. — The caterpillars can be 

 killed by applying lead arsenate to the 

 foliage. When not numerous, they 

 may be picked off and destroyed. 



Other Pests of Virginia Creeper 



Page 



Lealhoppers 10 



Hornworms 4 



Aphids 9 



Red spiders 11 





Figure 155. — Caterpillars of the eight- 

 spotted forester feeding on a leaf. 

 About half natural size. 



