4 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION 
ANTS AND HONEY DEW 
Wherever the aphids are abundant, it is usually true that ants may be 
seen running over the infested tree or plant. It is often thought by the 
orchardist or farmer that the ants are present to destroy the lice, but this 
is probably never the case. Nearly all plant lice excrete from their bodies 
a sweet liquid known as “honey dew.” This liquid, gathering upon the 
leaves of the plants, cause them to be shiny and sticky as if they had been 
varnished. The ants are very fond of this liquid and visit the lice to ob¬ 
tain it, and are always very careful not to injure the plant lice themselves. 
NATURAE REMEDIES 
The plant lice are greatly lessened in numbers every year by insect 
enemies. Most important among these are the “lady-beetles,” the “syrphus 
flies,” and the “lace-wing flies” or “aphis-lions.” Wherever these are found 
upon the infested plants they should be carefully protected as they often 
destroy the lice so completely that it is not necessary to make any applica¬ 
tion to kill the lice artificially. 
REMEDIES 
The most common remedies for the destruction of plant lice are kero¬ 
sene emulsion, tobacco decoctions, or soapy preparations. An insecticide 
that will destroy one plant louse will usually be effectual in destroying any 
other, if a thorough application is made. 
Plant lice fly so freely from one orchard to another that it is very im¬ 
portant that all of the orchardists in a community spray their trees whenever 
the lice are abundant. If one man should fail to do this, the plant lice 
leaving his trees, would in nearly every case, be sufficient to thoroughly 
colon'ze all of the orchards near him. Co-operation then is very important 
in any campaign against plant lice. 
APPLE PLANT LICE. 
WOOLLY APPLE APHIS. (Schisoneiira lanigera Hausm.) 
This is probably the most serious apple pest in Colorado. It is a bark 
feeder, and it attacks both the roots, the trunk and the limbs of the trees, 
but does not feed upon the fruit or foliage. This louse is readily recognized 
on account of its being covered with a white woolly secretion which has 
suggested its common name. Upon the trunk and branches the lice attack 
e'ther the tender bark about the scars or the bark of tender new shoots. 
Below ground, the lice attack the bark of the smaller roots causing warty 
swelkngs upon them. If very abundant, the roots are often completely 
covered with these smooth wart-like growths which sometimes cause the 
roots to die and rot off. When very abundant upon the very rapidly 
growing twigs, these lice often produce abrupt swellings due to the 
thickening of the inner bark. Sometimes these swollen portions of 
the limbs crack open lengthwise and the limbs may be sufficiently injured 
to case them to die. Severest injury is done to the tops where there is the 
tenderest and most rapid growth as in grafts and water sprouts. 
