CONTROL OF THE CITEOPHILUS MEALYBUG. 3 
able area in the northern part of the city. In 1916 over 100 acres of 
citrus were found to be infested at Riverside, and at the present time 
this infestation covers approximately 250 acres. Smaller infestations 
are recorded at Cucamonga and Alhambra on citrus. It is reported 
at Long Beach and Los Angeles on ornamentals and occurs in the 
northern part of the k5tate in the San Francisco Bay region. 
There is little probability of distribution by natural travel as the 
insect remains close to its host. The more important means of dis- 
tribution are the picking boxes, picking sacks, clothing of the pickers 
and primers, teams, wagons, and ladders ; of slightly less importance 
is distribution by wind, birds, and insects. Several new infestations 
have been definitely traced to distribution through picking boxes pre- 
viously used to transport infested fruit. 
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. 
In a severe infestation the mealybug not only masses on the twigs 
and foliage but also on the fruit. These masses may even cover from 
one-half to two-thirds of the surface and hang down in cottony fes- 
toons from the bud end. Such masses are common on severely in- 
fested lemons and on navel oranges, in the case of the latter particu- 
larly at the navel end. Where two fruits touch, a similar favored area 
of infestation is formed, especially on grapefruit and lemons. On 
young green fruit the immature forms crowd under the sepals, weak- 
ening the supporting tissues and influencing premature drop. The 
insects are also found in numbers on the young succulent new growth 
and sucker growth. 
They secrete a honeydew which falls to the foliage or fruit below 
and in this medium grows a black fungus commonly known as 
" smut." The fruit and foliage become so black with this deposit as 
greatly to retard their development and to necessitate a special wash- 
ing before the fruit can be packed. 
The combination of the attack of the insects under the sepals and 
the deposit of " smut " frequently causes a heavy dropping of young, 
green fruit and also of the mature fruit, if held long on the trees. 
The deposit on the foliage results in a heavy leaf drop, often an 
almost complete defoliation of the tree. The feeding of the insects 
on the fruit destroys its natural gloss and often causes deep brown 
pittings in the rind which seriously aifect the grading of the fruit. 
One packing-house manager reported a lowering of the grades from 
one severely infested orchard of from 30 to 40 per cent of the highest 
classed fruit. The lower grades are also seriously affected and fre- 
quently fall to culls, or unmarketable fruit. Severe infestations on 
lemons have been known to result in an almost complete loss of the 
crop, the fruit grading as culls. 
