CONTROL OF THE CITROPHILUS MEALYBUG. 
11 
Table 1. — Control of the Argentine ant in a citrus orchard at Upland, Calif., 1911. 
Demonstration Plot, First 10 Acres, 674 Trees. 
Date of 
Poison 
dis- 
tributed. 
Trees with ants. 
Check area. 
inspec- 
tion. 
Very 
Clean, light 
trail. 
Light 
trail. 
trail, j traiL 
Clean. 
Very 
light. 
Light. 
Me- 
dium. 
Heavy. 
Sept. 23. . 
5 1 99 
312 
133 125 
Oct. 5 
Over entire area. 
Mar. 24. . . 
671 | | 3 
Only on trees w 
648 | 20 ! 6 
Onlv on trees w 
642 j *17 15 
..| . 
Apr. 9 
th ants. 
| 
Apr. 9 
June 17... 
June 17 
th ants. 
June 29... 
672 2 
| 
Demonstration Plot 
Second 10 Acres, 676 Trees. 
Sept. 23... 
2 1 157 266 
On 600 trees. 
391 | 119 | 61 1 
On 600 trees. 
107 68 
15 | 14 
! 9 23 20 
Trap nest under 76 trees. 
8 1 19 | 23 
n 
Mar. 20... 
Nov. 5 
26 
Apr. 1 
Apr. 5 
On 76 trees. 
Apr. 30... 
546 
577 
593 
39 
18 
7 
10 
5 

4 


1 


57 
75 
76 
13 
1 

5 1 1 
i 


June 11... 

June 29. . . 

Burlap Banding. 
Although by winter the ants were controlled and early the follow- 
ing spring were almost completely eradicated, the mealybugs con- 
tinued in severe infestations and during the latter part of March were 
noted to begin descending the tree trunks. The descent continued to 
increase in April and no large number of natural enemies appeared 
as was anticipated. It soon appeared that elimination of the ant was 
not alone sufficient to bring about control of the citrophilus mealy- 
bug, as had proved the case for the common mealybug. The citro- 
philus mealybug species was not attacked by either numerous or 
effective natural enemies. The necessity of artificial means of con- 
trol to supplement ant eradication was thus at once apparent. 
A study of the habits of this mealybug showed a spring migration 
to the trunk and rough places on the main branches where egg 
masses for the succeeding generation are deposited. The accumula- 
tion of insects and egg masses in cases of severe infestations, as pre- 
viously pointed out, became so great as frequently to present the ap- 
pearance of large tufts of cotton. This massing on the trunk and 
lower branches presented a favorable point of attack and the spray- 
ing of these masses with an effective insecticide promised a great re- 
duction of the total insects present. It was noted, in the case of 
some trees which had been banded with cotton bands by an orchardist 
at Upland in 1915, that these acted to attract the ovipositing females 
beneath them in great masses. Since cotton bands were scattered 
by the winds and birds, it was decided to substitute burlap and ac- 
