The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-12-28
A Pest That Causes Bright Red
Spots on Fruit.
THE SAN JOSE SCALE BUG
Distinguished by the Small Size of the
Scales, a Sixteenth of an Inch
i'll Diameter.

man has this to say or the pest IN ms
recently issued bulletin:
MISUNDERSTANDING the apple, pear,
peach plum cherry, and perhaps all
deciduOus shrubs or trees. Minute cir
cular scales, smaller than a pin head,
causing bright red ring-like spots on
the fruit of apple pear, peach and
plum. No other insect does this. When
numerous they completely cover the
branches and twigs, giving them a char
acteristic whitish mealy appearance.
Upon scraping such twig with the fin
ger nail, a yellowish oily fluid will be
seen, which comes from the crushed
bodies of the scales. Cutting strip Of
the bark on badly infested trees will
disclose a brownsh discoloration which
may also extend to the wood.
Description and Life HistOry-The
San Jose scale is at once distinguished
from other pests of this family by the
small size of the scales, which measure
commonly about one-siXteenth of an
inch in diameter, though rarely speci-
mems may be found nearly an eighth of
an inch across The scales are circular.
somewhat elevated in the middle, which
bears a small black or yellOwish pointed
process. In badly infested orchards
they completely cover the trees, giving
the branches an unhealthy, grayish
security appearance.
In winter the scales are to be found
only in half or nearly full-grown con-
dition and completely dormant With
the first flow of sap in spring they begin
to feed again, and become fully grown
in May and June when the first brood
of larvae is produced. AS far as known
all these larvae are born alive. They
move about actively for a few hours or
even day or more, finally settling on
tender twigs, leaves or fruit, into which
they gradually insert their beaks and
begin to absorb juices from the plant.
From this time on, broOds are pro-
duced necessarily through the summer,
and the insect can be found in all stages
until the leaves fall in October. Short
ly after settling on a spot, the larvae
secrete a waxy substance, the begin
ming of the formation of a scale.
"In two days the insect becomes in
visible. being covered by a pale gray
ish-yellow shield with a projecting nip
pie at the center. This nipple is al first
white in color. Twelve days after hatch
ing the first skin is cast. The males at
this time are rather larger than the fe-
males, which have large purple eyes,
while the females have lost their eyes
entirely. The legs and antennae have
disappeared in both cases. Six days
later the males begin to change to pu-
pae, while the females have not yet cast
their second skin. At this
time the females are so
tightly cemented to the scale that they
can not be removed without crushing.
In two or three days more, or 20 to 81
- Ice. CT
their second skin, which splits around
the margin of the body. At "a days the
males begin to issue, emerging from the
scales as a general thing at night At
80 days the females are fully grown and
embryonic young can be seen in their
bodies; and at from SO to 40 days the
larvae begin to make their appearance"
Howard.
The adult male is a delicate, two
winged creature bearing a straight
stoutish appendage at the posteriOr end.
It lives in this adult condition but a
short time.
The female never attains wings or
leaves the scale, after it is once formed.
ONLY in the active larVal condition
can the pest become spread. This is
greatly facilitated by the habit of the
larvae Of crawling on other insects or or
the feet of birds, and being thus carried
from tree to tree.
Remedies-The remedy universally
used on the Pacific coast is the sulphur
lime and salt solution, to be applied as
a winter spray. In California and in
this state. Judging from the testimony
of numerous orchardists, this solution
has proved to be a perfect remedy. In
one orchard that has come under Oul
observation the scale has been entirely
extirpated by this, remedy. In another
orchard we found a very different state
of affairs, which may, however, no
have been the fault of the spray.
l.. O. Howard has found the sulphur
lime and salt spray entirely effective
against the San Jose scale in the east
The only completely effective solution
there were found to be whale-oil soap
whale-oil soap two pounds, water on
gallon-and the resin solution in si'
times it's ordinary strength. Both o
these are expensive. the latter the NOR
so. For the present we advise the us
of the sulphur, lime and salt, and W
especially desire to hear the experience
of orchardists with this substance
Washington Notes-1ntroduced in thi
state for al least 10 years. Quite gen
orally distributed in eastern Washing
ton. especially in the older orchard:
Reported in western Washington onl
from Vancouver &C. A. Tonneson).
THE DEMAND FOR FARM HORSE
Motor Vehicles 10 Not Travel Owe
plpwet Greund-Notes.
Horses will not be eliminated from In