Aug. I, 1931 
Biological Study of Red Date-Palm Scale 
667 
an angle of 45°, should be used. It is advisable to work from an elevated 
platform in spraying tall palms, rather than to use too long a rod. 
Before attempting to spray, the palms should be properly pruned, 
surplus leaves being removed from the parent plant and the short method 
of pruning being used on the offshoots. Where possible, especially in 
the spring months, as many of the offshoots as are ready should be re¬ 
moved from the parent plant prior to spraying. On old palms the 
decayed leaf bases and infested superficial roots should be removed. If 
the dirt has been worked up around the base of the palm during cultiva¬ 
tion this should be removed before spraying. 
Too much importance can not be given to making a thorough applica¬ 
tion of the spray. Starting about a foot below the crown of the palm the 
solution should be so thoroughly applied as to soak all the fiber and com¬ 
pletely fill the spaces between the leaf bases from this point to the ground. 
A slow, careful application made from at least two sides of the trunk is 
to be preferred to a hasty, incomplete spraying. The spraying of the 
old leaves to control the infestation in the leaf pinnae may be limited to 
severely infested trees and especially immediately following the migra¬ 
tory periods. An average io-year-old tree with a 6-foot trunk, properly 
pruned, will take from 15 to 20 gallons of spray. 
The proper time to spray is determined and limited by the time the 
fruit crop is off, the migratory period of the scale, the blooming period, 
and the time the fruit begins to make sugar. On imported palms 
(barring seedlings) the fruit is generally all harvested by November 15, 
the blooming period is from the latter part of March on until May, the 
spring migration of the scale is from April to June, and the fruit begins 
to make sugar about August. This permits four sprayings per year, as 
follows: 
First spray period.Jan. 1 to Feb. 15 
Second spray period.Feb. 15 to Apr. 1 
Third spray period.May 15 to June 30 
Fourth spray period.July 1 to Aug. 15 
On seedling palms the spray periods will of necessity be governed by 
the factors mentioned above and will also vary with different varieties. 
In most cases the spray periods will be of shorter duration, but even then 
not less than four sprayings should be given. 
The treatment of infested offshoots as now practiced consists of 
thoroughly and completely dipping the cut offshoots in a bath of the fore¬ 
going solution. They should be submerged for 15 minutes, taken out 
and drained for 24 hours, and then submerged a second time for 15 
minutes, making 30 minutes altogether in the solution. This solution 
at a strength of 1 to 50 will not injure the offshoot if left in it 24 hours. 
Offshoots should also be carefully inspected and sprayed during propa¬ 
gation planting. 
