INSECT PESTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 189, 12 August 1933, Page 6 (Supplement)

INSECT PESTS.

IT PAYS TO SPRAY,

There are several varieties of scale insects that attack fruit trees. They do not move about in search of food, but build a tiny house over themselves where food is plentiful. Tho young are produced from eggs which come out in November or October. The general treatment to got rid of these pests is to spray with some oily material that will form a thin film over the shell and prevent the young from breathing; red oil emulsified is one of the best sprays that can bo used for this when the trees are quite bare of leaves in the winter. In bad eases two sprayings arc often necessary, but tho second dose will amply repay for the application. Mites are another class of blight which, though nearly always present, are very rarely 6cen. They are really a small species of spider, but they are so small that they cannot bo seen cxecpt under a microscope or magnifying glass. These mites can both suck and bite, for they are provided with mandibles and hollow beaks, and by this means they eat their way into leaf and fruit. Tho one known as red spider is the best, known and tho most feared. Tlicy do not confine themselves to fruit trees, but will attack almost any garden plants. The. first sign is faint yellow streaks through the natural green; on some plants tho leaves curl, shrivel and fall, whilo on others they hang faded and yellow, and their living colour gone. Reproduction is by eggs, those laid in summer hatching quickly, while those deposited on the approach of winter remain unaltered until hatched by tho hot sun of late spring. These eggs are generally to bo found in the folds of the buds, in the hollows of tho trunks, and under splinters of dead wood. The smallness and helplessness of most orchard pests makes them an easy prey to their natural enemies, and to weather conditions, such as heat and cold, and especially wet. Yet they are not wholly unprotected, for the tiny threads that cover woolly aphis are resinous and sticky, and when matted together are waterproof, and only force will make moisture penetrate through. Therefore, when spraying, a considerable force must be used to penetrate their shelters. The green and black peach aphis are easier to get at, so long as they are sprayed from various angles, so that tho spray can get into