476 



Pine Aphis. 



stems these galleries are difficult to trace. In most cases the 

 galleries, or branches, end in a deep pocket in which eggs, 

 larvae, pupae, and perfect beetles are found. 



The larva is without legs, milky white, and rather more 

 than the tenth of an inch in length. Some authorities hold 

 that the larva does not bore; it has, however, strong jaws, 

 evidently made for biting and boring, and it certainly seemed 

 that the larvae found in orchid stems were actively at work. 

 The pupa is white. Mr. Blandford, the well-known authority 

 upon this beetle, thinks that the period of development from 

 the egg to the perfect state is about ten weeks. 



Infestation is primarily due to the winged female beetle, 

 which either bores a hole for escape from the stem in which 

 she was generated, or emerges through the original hole in 

 the stem, and flies to fresh plants, w^herein she makes 

 circular holes and deposits eggs. 



This beetle is very destructive to sugar canes in the West 

 Indies and other countries. It also attacks beer casks, and 

 sometimes causes considerable losses from leakage, in con- 

 sequence of borings into the wood, especially in India. 



When this infestation is noticed in orchid houses the infested 

 stems, or pseudo-bulbs, must be cut away and burned. It 

 would be desirable also to re-pot infested plants and to use 

 fresh crocks, and entirely new sphagnum, moss, and other 

 materials. 



The Pine Aphis [Lachnus pint). 



This Aphis was found in January upon good-sized 

 deodar trees [Cedrus deodar a), 20 feet in height, to which it 

 was causing considerable injury. It w^as said to have turned 

 the leaves of some of these trees yellow by the continuous 

 sucking of their juices. 



It is most unusual to find aphides materially damaging 

 plants in the winter, but this infestation was reported from 

 Devonshire, where the climate is mild, and the whole 

 season had been quite abnormal until the fall of snow" in 

 the latter part of February. Aphides are frequently found 

 alive in winter in small numbers, but do not then cause 



