The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-09-10
INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL
Insects Found on the Orange Trees
Of Florida,
Editors of The Florida Agriculturist.

OF Florida.
Editors of The Florida Agriculturist.
Since my discovery of the mite, prey
ing upon the eggs of the orange scale
insect (Aspidiotus Gloverii) I have been
studying up the insects found on the
orange trees; my study and observa-
tions have resulted in making me ac-
quainted with the habits of some new
insects, aud others that have never been
described. The first is mite, men,
toned (by that indefatigable entomol-
ogist Townsend Glover, who has done
so much for economic entomology, in
an old Agricultural Report published in
1855.
I have, therefore, named it in honor
of him, Acarrs (?) Gloverii, n. sp. Soft,
fattened, oval, Of pale yellow, with
broad, pinkish flesh colored stripe ex-
tending from thorax down middle of
abdomen, terminating at the hinder
edge, which is obtuse legs eight, thin,
finely pubescent, with two claws.
Length about .01 of an inch.
In company with them are often seen
pale flesh colored specimens, which are
immatured ones. They are very active,
and are frequently mistaken for the
scale insect, but can easily be distin-
guished from them by the absence of
antenne, the eight legs, (scale insect
having but six) and their size, which is
smaller also, by the absence of caudal
appendages.
So far, have only found it in COM
pany with the oval scale insect, (Aspi-
diotus citricola) on the eggs of which it
probably feeds. 1t may be called "Glov-
er's mite, or the yellow orange mite" to
distinguish it from the red orange mite,
discovered by me. 1t has been noticed
III Jacksonville and vicinity, and seems
widely distributed through Florida.
Another enemy of the oval scale insect.
also mentioned by Glover. but which
has not been described, may be called
the orange scale 07oIteIinuS.
Aphelinus aspidioticola, n. SD. Head
and thorax, light reddish brown: head
saisAe " II estAla id A thorax, three
ocelli, eyes prominent, dark antenn@,
three jointed (?) the last joint is club
shaped dark brown spot on thorax.
at base Of each wing; wings hyaline.
both fore and hind wings ciliated from
end of costal vein, no other apparent
veins small dark reddish spot on fore
wings at termination of costal vein !.
abdomen rather elongated, and Of
darker shade Of brown than the thorax,
with two oblong spots of very dark
brown on each side; legs rufo- testece-
Gus, with tibial hair at junction with
varsi. There is also short ovipesitor.
hardly perceptible. 1t prays on the
eggs of the oval scale insect [ have
found numbers of the scales with hole
perforated in the top by the aphelinus,
into which it crawls and lays its eggs.
The larve on Matching feed on the eggs
of the scale insect, and thus render the
greatest service to the orange grower,
by preventing their increase.
These three insects, Q ibaues aspidioti,
Acarus Gloverii, and Aphelinus aspidio-
ticola, l firmly believe prevent the scale
insect from devastating the groves as
they did in 1885.
To the orange growers of Florida and
California, whose trees are suffering
from the scale insect, I would recon-
mend as remedy the transporting of
these insects into their groves.
Differing from above is another insect
that may yet prove very destructive to
the orange. My attention has been
drawn to it by the Rev. 7. W. Moore,
the author of ':Orange Culture one of
best works yet published on the subject.
I obtained good many specimens, to-
gether with their eggs, for examination,
and make it out to be an undescribed
specie Of Lecanium. The insects are
found congregated together on the new
shoots, terminal branches, and on the
fruit, where it is attached to the branch,
around which they cluster in great num-
bers. They suck the sap, and wherever
they are at work the leaves curl up, a
dark powder appears on the leaf, and
they ultimately. wither and die. 1t may
be called the Leaf. scaled COccus.
Lecanium phyllococcus, Il. sp. Oval.
convex, cinereous, (entirely coated with
powder-like substance); antenn@, eight
jointed, inserted below, and under the
eyes abdomen composed of eight or
more segments, the outer edge of which
is surrounded by series of leaf-like
scales extending to the head legs six.
Length from .03 to IA of an inch.
Specimens can be found all skies some
very large and nearly round, which, 1
believe, are the females ready to lay
their eggs.
The eggs are elliptical, of pale yell
low, and laid under cotton-like sub
stance; they are about .02 of an inch in
length.
II