66 o 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXI, No. 9 
and counties then known as infested, but distribution within tiiis area 
has been only partially retarded. 
There is little probability of the dissemination of the scale by its own 
movement, as only during its very young stage does it move at all and 
it could hardly travel from tree to tree at this time. 
The most important means of distribution is through the infested 
offshoots. These offshoots are invariably rather heavily infested and 
derive the infestation from the bole of the parent tree. Many severely 
infested offshoots have been found in the propagation houses, where 
they are placed for rooting. 
Of lesser importance is the accidental carriage of the scale by the 
men at pollination time; and carriage by birds, insects, and the wind, 
especially in the spring during the so-called migratory period of this 
scale insect. 
KCONOMIC IMPORTANCE 
In severe infestations this scale has the habit of massing on the new 
succulent fruit stems and leaf bases of the palm in such numbers as 
greatly to weaken their normal development. In fact when the fruit 
stems are severely attacked the flow of sap is so greatly arrested that the 
fruit drops just before reaching maturity. Mr. Drummond states that 
a heavily infested Tazizaoot palm lost its entire crop for three successive 
seasons at the Mecca gardens. One date-growing company lost approxi¬ 
mately 1,200 pounds of fruit from 75 infested palms in 1917. In the 
early spring during the migratory period the insects mass not only 011 
the fronds but also on the fruit clusters and occasion serious damage. 
That they also retard the normal growth of the palm is evident. 
DESCRIPTION OF STAGES. 
In the body of the mature, wine-colored insect may be seen the de¬ 
veloping embryos with their six legs, antennae, dark eye spots, and coiled 
mouthparts. The young are bom alive and issue from the ventral side 
of the mother scale into a depression in the body wall. 
lyARVA 
The young female larva is flat and oval in shape, pinkish white in color, 
0.24 mm. in length, with body segmentation fairly well defined. The 
antennae are 6-segmented, the basal segment being very broad and the 
terminal segment cylindrical. The abdomen is 7-segmented and bears 
two pairs of setae on the caudal end, the inner pair being nearly twice as 
long as the outer. The mouthparts are fully twice the length of the 
body, exceedingly fine and whiplike. 
After remaining under the mother scale for a time the larva crawls out 
and wanders about in search of a suitable place to feed and then settles 
for life. The long stylet mouthparts are inserted, and the larva begins 
