The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-06-22
Insects Killing Soft Naples.

corner OF D0Wner Place ana Lake street, calls
our attention to an insect which is destroying
his soft maple trees. The limbs of the trees
have the appearance OF being covered with
scales of about the color of the bark, but hay
ing white lining composed Oft cottony sub
stance They were first observed last year, and
now the tree upon which they were then ais-
covered has the appearance OF dying, having
only lew small leaves upon 1t. ms year
they are found upon all the soft maple trees III
that vicinity, and on some OF the uoA-eiuer or
ash-leavcd maple trees. From what we can
learn of the insect il is called the "bark-ouse,"
(Lecantuu aceltc0la y and as it is matter of
much importance to most of our readers we
rive below description OF the insect, prepared
by Miss Emma A. Smith, an cntomoogist of
Peoria, H. who has devoted much time to in
vestigatipg the little wretches, which have DIES
troycd the trees on many Of the streets of that
city:
The general habits Of the insect are as fol-
lows: In the early spring the female is found
on the bark apparently torpid, As warm wealth
er advances, the body is more swellcd, and,
carefully raising it with knife, numerous
oblong eggs will be found, the dead body form
ing cover. Under this shield the young are
Matched, and make their escape from the lower
end, where it is either slightly elevated or
notched. They then wander with considerable
activity over leaf and branch inserting their
beakS into the bark or leaves, drawing up the
sap which nourIshcs them.
While the LecdRium dcericOtd continue their
eXhausting suction of sap, they increase IN
size, and during this time are in what is called
the larva state When this is completed, they
will be found to be of different sizes, and they
then prepare for change that is about to take
place. by emitting from the under side OF their
hp1y litt1n white InWpV threads
which, fastened to the bark, serve to secure
them. The larger ones are females, who man
age to throw off this covering in few days,
and become fastened to the bark as scale,
where they become immovable and apparently
inanimate; while the smaller ones continue
under their outer skins which serve instead OF
cOcoons, from which they seem to shrink and
detach themselves and transform into theper-
feet insect having two wings which lie on the
top of the body. after the larger lice have
become fixed, and have thrown off their outer
coats, they enter upon the pupa or chrysalis
state; but when they have become mature they
do not leave the skins or shells covering their
bodies, which continue flexible for time.
Thes larger insects are females, and are des-
tined to remain immovable and never change
their place after they have once become sta
tiOnary." After the insects have paired, the
remains without alteration Under the skin the
eggs are deposited; but not being large enough
to cover all her eggs, a white, downy substance
issues from under or hinder part OF her body
and imbeds them This is the timethe insect
spreads from tree to tree. The Cottony sub
stance Is light, and is easily borne from one
tree to another by the wind, and one female
deposits as many as two hundred eggs.
The most effective time for destroying the
insect Is while the young are crawling over
leaf and branch; they are then tender and al
most any solution of soap will kill them.
The time depends upon the advance of the sea
son, but about the last of the month of May or
first of June.
A wash made of two pounds ofpotash in seven
quarts of water, or a picket consisting OF quart
of common salt to two gallons Of water, would
prove cheap and effectual preventive. Per
haps the best application is wash made OF
two parts of soft soap and eight of water, with
which is to be mixed lime enough to bring it
to the cOnsistence of thick whitewash. The
larger trees already infested might be saved by
using Babcock's eXtinguisher. They are prey
ed upon to some extent by parasites.
A letter received March 10Th, from j. Dun
can Putnam, Corresponding Secretary OF the
Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, states
that the Lecdnium dcercOld still continue to
be very injurious to the maple trees in that
city, though it spreads very slowly, and he
thinks, if proper means were used, its injuries
could be checked. The best part of the shade
trees of Davenport have been almost entirely
destroyed. He thinks the best preventive
would be to syringe the trees with water in
which tobacco and soap, or other poison had
been dissolved, applied at the time the young
lice are hatching.-1urOrd Herad.