138 



tliaii on tlie plant. Care must be taken to keep domestic animals 



out of tlie fields treated in tliis manner. 



Mealy Bugs. 



We liave tliree species of mealy bugs wbicli do considerable 

 damage to outdoor plants and trees. Probably tbe alligator pear 

 mealy bug (Pseudococcus nipae) wMcb also attacks tbe fig and 

 many other plants and palms, is tbe most serious and bas caused 

 a lot of inquiry. Tbis insect generally appears like magic and 

 after doing tbe damage and disfiguring tbe tree is gradually 

 diminisbed by tbe various ladybug beetles ever present in tbese 

 Islands. However, it is tbe young trees wbicb seem to suffer 

 tbe most^ and unless aided by tbe judicious use of a strong soap 

 and water spray tbey will become stunted and worthless. Xext 

 in line is the fiuffv mealv bus (P. Hldmentosus^ . which has 

 tbe tendency to poison tbe tender shoots of hibiscus, citrus 

 and other plants, causing them to distort and dwarf tbe flowers. 

 as well as tender branches. The third species of importance is 

 the pineapple mealy bug. which not only infests the pineapple, 

 but does severe damage to the roots of many flowering plants and 

 bulbs. Cannas. tuberoses, coleus. amaryllis and many other plants 

 suddenly become dwarfed and on taking them out of the ground 

 the roots are one mass of whitish looking objects which are the 

 pests here mentioned. All these species can easily be checked 

 by using a soap wash made of one pound whale oil soap to three 

 gallons of very hot water. After the soap is thoroughly dissolved 

 tbe liquid should be applied quite warm, as most of these pests 

 are greasy and the hot wash will take better hold on them. 



Scale Insects. 



The two species which give the most trouble and loss are 

 tbe Florida red scale {Chrysoniplialus aonidiim) and tbe Purple 

 Scale ( Lepidosaphes hecl'ii). These insects are especially fond 

 of citrus trees but also do serious injury to palms and other gar- 

 den and house plants. The whale oil soap wash as recommended 

 for mealy bugs will do much towards reducing these pests. 



Plant Lice or Aphids. 



Plant lice, like mealy bugs and scale insects, do verv serious 

 damage to tender growth. There are several species of Aphids in 

 tbe islands which contribute to the damage and loss of crops. 

 and which caused inquiry during tbe biennial period. 



Tbe Cotton Aphis (Aphis gossypii), which not only attacks 

 cotton but many other plants is especially destructive to water- 

 melon plants, and during 1913 and 1914 considerable complaint 

 from various sections reached the office. It is a very hard problem 



