TREE INSECTS AND THEIR CONTROL 215 
SAP-SUCKING APHIDS 
Habits This insect is more injurious 
and than the cottony maple scale. 
Damage. It shows itself in the early 
spring as a fluffy mass resemb¬ 
ling cotton, on the under side of folded 
leaves, and it looks so formidable as to 
cause the tree owner much concern. The 
cottony mass contains aphids hatched 
from eggs which were laid the previous 
fall in cracks and under loose bark on the 
trunk of the tree. At maturity these 
insects leave the Maple and migrate to an 
Alder where they produce several genera¬ 
tions that feed on the bark of twigs and 
branches throughout the summer. In the 
fall the final generation returns to the 
Maple preparatory to the production of a 
brood which furnishes the eggs for the 
following season’s hatching. Very little 
injury is caused the Maple. 
Because of the relative 
harmlessness of this insect, 
treatment is not really necessary. Spray¬ 
ing with 40 per cent, nicotine sulphate or 
kerosene emulsion is effectual. 
Woolly Maple and Alder Aphis 
Remedies. 
Norway Maple Aphis 
Habits This insect is found on the 
and under side of Norway Maple 
Damage, leaves during the summer, 
causing them to show brown 
blotches. The leaves are also coated with 
the sticky substance known as honeydew, 
and so much of this substance is produced 
that the ground under the tree becomes 
more or less covered with it. The leaves 
sometimes fall, disfiguring the tree for the 
season and impairing growth. The aphis 
may be recognized by its yellowish green 
color, with markings of brown, its reddish 
eyes and long, hairy antennae. 
Remedy. Spraying is usually enough 
to destroy this insect. The 
spray should be 40 per cent, nicotine sul¬ 
phate, mixed with soap and diluted. It 
should be applied as soon as possible after 
the insects are discovered on the leaves, 
and the spraying should be aimed partic¬ 
ularly at the under side of the leaves. 
Where an insecticide is not available, a 
stream of water from a garden hose, 
applied frequently and with force, will 
keep this aphid under control. 
GALL INSECTS 
Gall Insects and Mites 
Habits Several forms of gall-mak- 
and ing insects and mites infest 
Damage. Maples, causing the growth of 
galls which disfigure the trees 
and sometimes cause the premature fall¬ 
ing of leaves. Serious damage is compara¬ 
tively rare. 
Remedy. When a tree is badly 
infested a thorough spraying 
with kerosene emulsion or miscible-oil 
solution will prove -effectual, if applied 
during the winter. 
