THE INSECT WORLD. 



cases, instead of a female, an egg mass will be found beneath the 

 scale ; but in either case mechanical dislodging results in the de- 

 struction of the insects. 



Very often a little judicious ^5- 

 pruning or trimming, done 

 during the winter, will give 

 relief, because the insects 

 usually settle on the termi- 

 nal twigs, and it might 

 easily be that none of the 

 larger branches contained 

 living scales or eggs. In 

 conservatories the mechan- 

 ical method is, all things 

 considered, the best. It 

 may take a little more time, 

 but it is thoroughly effect- 

 ive, and when carefully 

 done there may be almost 

 total exemption until scales 

 are again introduced with 

 new plants. 



This is a good place to 

 say that no plant should be 

 placed in a garden or con- 

 servatory until it has been 

 thoroughly cleaned of all 

 scales found on twig or fo- 

 liage, and a soft tooth- or 



hand-brush, with moderately strong soapsuds, forms a good outfit 

 for doing the work. Where winter treatment is inadvisable or 

 impossible, applications should be made when the larvae emerge 

 from the eggs and before they fasten themselves to leaves or 

 twigs. There is no difficulty in killing the young with either 

 soapsuds or kerosene emulsion, but — and here is the important 

 point — the application must be made before the insect is pro- 

 tected by a scale, or when the scale is yet very thin and newly- 

 formed. Kerosene will penetrate the waxy mass of the maple 

 scale, but it will not certainly kill the eggs contained in it ; yet 



8 



Lecanium hemisphericum, on orange-leaves, nat- 

 ural size ; a, female scale, enlarged. 



