Mussel Scale and Beetle Mites. 
77 
Natural Enemies. 
Scales have many natural enemies, but this species and those 
that attack the currant in this country are not materially lessened 
by them. Anyone trusting to parasites to help the farmer in this 
respect evidently is not acquainted with these pests in our orchards. 
Amongst the natural enemies birds alone do any good. The Paridac 
or Tits feed upon this scale, and a few other birds on the Tree- 
creeper and Wryneck. Lady-birds and their larvae eat scale, but 
none seem very partial to the Mussel scale in Great Britain. 
Minute hymenoptera — Chalcididae — also live as parasites upon 
them, but seldom do any appreciable good; in the first instance 
they occur too late in the attack to prevent the damage, and never 
are sufficiently abundant to check the pest for the following year. 
Sound advice to fruit growers is to go on washing and ignore the 
infinitesimal help given by these minute parasites. Also encourage 
those useful birds the Tits in orchard and garden. 
Treatment. 
The trunks, etc., of all trees must be kept clean, i.e., free from 
rough bark, moss and lichens. This can be done by washing in 
winter with caustic alkali wash, which at the same time corrodes 
and loosens the scales from the trees. Trees badly infested should 
also be sprayed in the early summer about the middle of June with 
paraffin emulsion, two or three times, at intervals of a few days. 
This kills numbers of the young and corrodes away to some extent 
any remaining scales. Whitewashing the trunks of the trees as far 
as the forks of the boughs does some good and keeps the wood in a 
healthy state. All young stock should be treated to destroy the 
scale before being planted or soon after. The best method is fumi- 
gation with hydrocyanic acid gas, the most valuable scale remedy. 
Oribatidae or Beetle Mites on Forest and Fruit 
Trees. 
The Beetle Mites are frequently sent by fruit-growers with 
enquiries as to their economy. The records of them on forest trees 
are few. 
Specimens have been sent from the Director, Eoyal Botanic 
Gardens, and received by him from Mr. A. S. Birknell, of Barcombe, 
Sussex, which are recorded by him as damaging chestnut (horse) and 
