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XXV. — Rq)orts of the Honorary Consulting Entomologist. By 
Eleanor A. Obmerod, F.R.Met.Soc, Dunster Lodge, Isle- 
worth, near London. 
May, 1884. ' 
The Hop Aphis. — I have pleasure in being able to report 
that serviceable information has been sent in during the spring 
regarding the first appearances of the hop aphis. 
These have been observed both on the first shoots of the hop, 
and on damsons, in the condition of wingless females, depositing 
living young, commonly called " lice," The specimens which 
were forwarded to me from hop-shoots were of the true hop aphis, 
Aphis {^Phorodon) humuli, those from the damson I consider to be 
of the variety of the hop aphis, known as the Aphis (^Phorodon) 
humuli, var. Malaheb, which is the kind or variety which is 
believed by many observers to spread on the wing from damsons 
and sloes to hops. 
The first specimens of these " damson-hop " aphides were 
forwarded to me on damson-buds, from Kent, on the 25th of 
March, and the lice on the shoots sent were numerous. 
On the 29th of March lice of the hop aphis (of which speci- 
mens were forwarded) were found on young shoots of hops 
on many hills in a " Grape " hop-ground at Barming, near 
Maidstone, by Mr. Whitehead, and in most cases where the 
small lice were observed, a large active wingless viviparous 
female was also observed near them. Shortly after the above 
date more lice were reported from the same hop-ground, and 
they were also found by other hop-growers near Maidstone. On 
the 31st of March "lice" were found on "Grape" hops at 
Wateringbury ; on the 1st of April they were found on young 
shoots at Crouch, near Sevenoaks, and on the 14th of April 
wingless females were observed, after careful search, in a hop- 
ground near Hereford. 
We have thus clear proof of attack, beginning in various 
localities by means of the deposit of lice by wingless females, 
which females it appears impossible to suppose have arrived on 
the young hop-shoot by any other means than that of walking 
up from the hill, be it out of the ground, or out of the hop con- 
tained in it. I have therefore suggested the application of such 
dressings to the surface of the hill as might be likely to poison 
the wingless females, or at least keep them from crawling up 
through matter, which should be obnoxious to them, but at 
the same time not be hurtful to the surface rootage, or to the 
young hop-shoots pushing up through the application. 
