Two Common Orchard Mites. 5 
season at Delta, Colorado. Their color remains red until after they 
moult for the first time, when they are a brownish, or often an olive 
green color. After this moult they have 8 legs, instead of 6, which 
remain with them throughout life. The adult (Plate I, Fig. i) is 
brown in color, with the exception of the legs and head, which have 
a reddish hue. The front pair of legs is very long, and are con¬ 
stantly kept in motion when the mites are feeding, as though they 
used them to feel their way about on the surface of the leaves. 
Throughout the months of May, June, and July adult mites are de¬ 
positing eggs, which may constantly be found on infested trees. 
If the infestation is severe, not only are their eggs deposited on the 
bark, but very often a few are deposited on the leaves. They have 
been noticed principally upon the upper surface, and in the furrow 
of the mid-rib. 
While it is very hard to determine whether or not there is a 
definite number of broods of this species of mite, observations the 
past season strongly indicate that there are but three broods. 
Nature and Appearance of Injury .—The direct injury from 
brown mite is confined principally to the foliage. They have been 
observed feeding upon fruit, and not infrequently have we seen 
masses of them collected upon the stems where they appeared to 
be feeding. It is probable that the stems are used mostly as a 
moulting place. The epidermis of a leaf is pierced bv 
their mandibles and the sap sucked from within. The first sign of 
infestation of a tree is the pale color of the leaves, not unlike that 
caused by leaf hoppers; when not abundant there may be only a few 
leaves affected. They generally attack the lower leaves first, and 
unless conditions are favorable to their increase, they may confine 
themselves largely to the water sprouts and tender twigs at the 
crotch of the tree. When multiplication is uninterrupted, they may 
cover the foliage of an entire tree, causing it to turn yellow and drop 
prematurely, thereby materially weakening the vitality of the tree. 
Little black specks, the droppings of the mites, render the fruit and 
foliage unsightly, and while there may be no serious consequences 
from this source, it probably does sometimes interfere with the 
looks of a fancy pack of early fruit. Often the fruit of a badly 
infested tree is small and does not mature properly. 
Trees and Plants Infested .—The brown mite does not confine 
its attack to trees, for it was first described as a clover pest. Neither 
does it confine its attack to orchard trees, for shade trees have been 
reported infested by them. During* our observations of this mite 
we have not found it on any of our shade trees. Much has been 
written about it as a household pest, but it seldom, if ever, becomes 
of any serious consequence in Colorado, where it winters mostly 
in the egg stage. In the warmer sections of the United States it 
is said to hibernate as an adult, often migrating into the houses in 
