41 (J FIFTH REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
a Coooid allied to Daotjflopiut and the common ''Turtle-back scale" (Ltcanium hes- 
per id urn). 
During the pasl season, Miss Murtt'ehlt has noticed a harvest mite in greet numbers 
feeding upon the eggs of this spreies at Kirkwood, Mo. From specimens sent to the 
Department, this mite seems to belong to the genua Eupode*, and is allied to the 
European E. kitmmli*. It is very minute ami pale reddUh-yellow in color. The body 
is divided into four distinct segments, two of which belong properly to tin- abdomen, 
the last one being the largest, the first the smallest, and the other two about equal 
in leugth. The division between the last two segments is a distinct, whitish, trans- 
verse line, while the others are indicated by slight lateral indentations and subdorsal 
impressions reaching to the lateral margin, of the same pale color. This is probably 
the same mite noticed by Miss Smith, and mentioned in her report previously cited. 
Two true parasites are known to infest this scale. The first of these,- Coccophagus 
Iteaiiii (Fitch), is very common, and ordinarily infests the scales in great numbers. 
The adult insect is a minute, black, four winged fly, marked with a crescent-shaped 
yellow patch in the middle of the body above. According to Putnam then- an- two 
broods of this parasite each season, the adults appearing in May and August. The 
infested lice become more or less inflated, finally turning black and becoming rigid. 
The females are most commonly infested, though Putnam states that he has bred the 
parasite from the male scale. 
The second parasite was bred by Mr. Putnam after the publication of his article, 
and was described by Mr. Howard in his paper on the parasites of Coccids (Ann. 
Kept. Dept. of Agr., 1880, p. 365) as Aphycus pulvinariu: This species seems to be rare 
and has not been bred since. It is minute, dull-yellow in color, with a dusky abdo- 
men and with antenna' variegated with brown and white. 
Remedies. — The principal remedies which have been proposed in the past are, 
briefly, heading in the tree, i. e., cutting off the branches, and drenching with a solu- 
tion of whale-oil soap or a 1 per cent, solution of carbolic acid. During the past 
season, however, we have recommended nothing but the kerosene emulsions treated 
of in a previous article, and these will undoubtedly give better satisfaction than 
anything else that can be used. The best time for spraying the trees will be while 
the young are hatching, late in May or early in June, and the apparatus described 
in the article on the cottonwood beetle can be used to the same advantage here. 
In Professor Forbes's third report much space is devoted to this pest, 
which began in 1884 to appear again in noticeable numbers. In 
destroying the insect the use of whale-oil soap was less satisfactory 
than that of the kerosene emulsion, " an application of the suds, 
strong enough to effect the purpose, being very likely to injure the 
leaves at least as much as the bark lice would have done." The most 
useful remedy was found to be a kerosene emulsion diluted with soap- 
suds to a strength of from 2J to 5 per cent, and not injuring the 
leaves. 
Miss Murtfeldt reports (Bull. 13, Div. Ent., 1887) as follows concern- 
ing the ravages of this insect in Illinois : 
This insect has not been troublesome in this part of Missouri since 1884 ; but in 
and around Rockford, 111., I learned that it had been so abundant on the soft maples 
for three successive seasons as to kill many young trees outright and greatly injure 
the older ones. I was told that the side-walks shaded by these trees became so 
defiled and slippery from the exudations of the scale insect that it was difficult and 
unpleasant to walk on them. The citizeus had consequently conceived a prejudice 
against the soft maple, and many were being cut down or dug up and replaced by 
other trees. 
