198 Brown Scale of Gooseberry and Currant, [june 



become inert. The mouth parts (Fig. 1 m) consist of a fleshy 

 lip or labium through which pass, the extremely slender 

 hair-like mandibles and maxillae with which the insect pierces 

 the bark and through which it sucks up the juices of the plant 

 —collectively therefore these organs form a sucking tube. 



The larvae usually fix themselves under the partly detached 

 or curled up portions of the bark so that they are often com- 

 pletely hidden, and in this way pass the winter without any 

 material change. They are then of a reddish brown colour 

 and so small that at first sight they may be easily mistaken 

 for the stomata of the plant. In spring they cast their skins, 

 and may become active for a short period ; in June they 

 become adults and the cycle commences again. The old 

 " scales " or dead females may, if undisturbed, remain attached 

 to the host plant for a very long period — two or three years 

 in some instances ; it often happens therefore, that the repre- 

 sentatives of two or three generations may occur on the plant 

 at the same time. 



The scale insects indigenous to this country are, so far as 

 I have been able to gather, single brooded, but ovulation may 

 sometimes be retarded by the influence of the weather, and 

 moreover the young larvae may continue to hatch out for a 

 relatively long period, so that the life cycles are not always 

 clearly defined and there may be a slight overlapping of the 

 stages of development. 



It may be interesting to note that the male of this insect 

 has not yet been discovered, and there can be no doubt that 

 the females are able to reproduce their species without the 

 intervention of the opposite sex. This remarkable trait is, 

 however, quite common among scale insects and some of the 

 plant lice. 



Remedies and Methods of Control. — Spraying in the early 

 part of February with either of the washes mentioned below 

 is the only practical means by which this pest can be controlled 

 or destroyed. At the same time it should be borne in mind 

 that it is the larvae or young insects which are found living 

 during the winter months ; and as they are quite minute and 

 often protected by the semi-detached bark, the spraying 

 must be thorough or the result will not be satisfactory. Care 

 must also be taken to see that the under sides of the branches 



