GARDENERS FOES..

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 8

GARDENERS FOES..

THE WOODLOUSE.

| The names woodlouse, sow bug, pea bug, I pig bug, .pill bug, and pill millepede are not i applied to one animal only, but to several all i' related, and having considerable likeness to rone another. The general appearance of these j creatures .will be best made manifest by a " reference to the accompanying' sketch, . which "also shows 'their "most Striking,' characteristic '—viz.', 'a habit of rolling themselves into a ball when alarmed, and which has suggested several of the names applied to them. These creatures are not insects, but Crxistaceans,- to which order crab's and shrimps, etc., belong. They are usually oval in form, and of a blackish grey or slate colour. The head is small, and bears antennae of considerable longth. The thorax is in seven segments, each with a pair of legs. The abdomen has six segments more or less distinct from each other. All the segments have a strong outer case I or plate, so that when -the creature rolls into I a ball it is well protected from its enemies. ; Some members of the family are parasitic upon fishes ; others bore into wood submerged or covered by the tide; while others — and these concern vs — live on dry land. Of theEe, one is often to be found in ants' nests; it is white, said to be blind and dependent on its hosts for subsistence; what it does in return is not exactly known.

The other land species infest clamp places, cellars, cupboards, under stones and rubbish, and in greenhouses. They are vegetablefeeders, hence often unwelcome to the gardner, as they have no objection to making a meal off his choice seedlings and other tender plants. They prefer what is succulent and juicy, and are often very destructive to strawberries, peaches, and mushrooms ; also to the roots of orchids. Owing to their horny covering insecticides are useless, and they must be trapped and crushed, or pni«onsd with baits boiled in water with a little arsenic. The latter, being a deadly poieon, must be used with necessary caution, and the vessels required thoroughly cleansed before using for other purposes. Traps are not difficult to get ; dirty (inside) flower pots, old rusty pipes or dirty drain pipes are eminently suitable. Partially fill these with hay or straw containing a bait of apple or potato — raw or cooked — and shake out the content 1 } every' morning. They are night feeders, hiding during the day, and may be caught red-handed after dark by means of a lantern. Another trap is formed by loosely nailing together two pieces of board, cay nine inches by four inches. Pass the nail through the centre, leaving sufficient space between the boards for the woodlice to creep into. Lay about their haunts, and in the morning summary execution can be administered by forcing the boards together, thereby crushing whateven is between. One of the best traps, however, is that shown in the illustration. Take a mangel wurtzel, cut in half, scoop out a hollow in each portion, and cut notches in the edge to afford entrances, then place as shown where the pests congregate. Not only woodlice but millepedes and slugs have a greajt liking for mangels, aad are usually caught

in large numbers thereby. Boiling water ia a good cure where it can be applied, as round the sides of frames, hotbeds, mushroom beds, etc. Also in greenhouses all rubbish likely to prove a harbour should be removed. Orchids can be protected by standing the plants on

pots inverted in pans of water, or by placing tt wooi round the roots at their base, , „. „ , , or where the woodlice pass over the edges of the pote. They will not cross the wool. — INSECTIVOROUS, in Amateur Gardening.