The Ordway new era., 1906-12-14
ELECTRIC LINEs|c0TToNY SCALE
pssT THAT ,M.vRGs SOFT MAPLE
TRggo.
sEsr TREATED IN WINTER

1
BY Use Of ksrossns. sosP a"e
Water Emulsion.
The cottony maple scale IL rn,her
common pest on soft maple ana Somo
other trees. especially those which ara
planted In parks and along the streets
| Tor shade and ornamental purposes
/ II belongs to a group OF very hucn spc
cialized insects which have habit OF
| spending a very large portion OF their
dives attached to one place on the plant
on which they live. During the greater
nortIon OF their existence they are COW
erred with n shell OF greater or less
| hardness. which often resembles very
| closely the surface OF the food plant
Owing to these characteristics anu 'he
| fact that they look so little ike IN
sec,s they are commonly overlooked
by all except those who are making
specialty of studying them. The In
Jury Is done while the insect IL taking
It's food. To do this 1t thrusts hnirlike
| bristles from its mouth into the plant
| tissues and draws out the sap.
The adult form OF the insect ~ most
easily recognized during May and June
when II secrctes white cottony mass
of wax about the size OF n pea from un'
der the scale. These masses appear on
the twIgs and small limbs. They may
range In numbers from "A few scatter
ing individuals to where the under
sides OF the limbs are nearly covered
with them. The masses Mt this time
are more commonly found on the lower
limbs and most often on the unucr
sides OF these. In the center OF the
fuzzy masses the insects lay several
hundred tiny oval nearly white eggs
and then die. The egg laying contin-
ues with different insects from the lat
ter part of May till about the hrst OF
July. The eggs hatch In June ana
July and the tiny young soon ma their
way to the leaves and begin To Feed.
Most often they settle on the under
sides near the veins, but they are some
times found on the upper sides and
even the young changing their posi-
ton. II Is during this season that the
injury is done to the leaves. The old
deserted cottony masses still cling TO
the limbs and are sometimes to be
found there for more than year after
they were formed. They. OF course.
do no injury In August and Septem-
ber the male scales develop into tiny
winged insects. but they soon after
ward die.
The females remain on the leaves
until October and then migrate back to
the twigs and limbs. At this time they
are little over n sixteenth OF an inch
in length. They fasten themselves for
the last time. usually lengthwise the
twig, and more often than not on the
under side OF 1t. During this fall MI
grafton n great many are lost by cling
ing to the falling leaves and otherwise
failing TO secure good alternating
places.
Throughout the winter the scales
may be found In this position and dur.
ing this time they take but. little IL
any nourishmcnt.
As soon as the sap begins TO flow in
| the spring they begin to grow. Their
color is almost exactly that OF the bark
| and they escape unnoticed. BY the lat
ter part of May or early In June they
are full grown and measure about
three-sixteenths OF an inch across. The
waxy mass is secreted from the under
sides and this gradually raises the In
sect until II stands at an angle OF sixty
degrees or more to the twig on which
| 1t rests.
AS already stated the insect does
most injury to soft maple trees. but II
10 also sometimes very abundant on
black locust and Virginia creeper
Nearly fifty food plants are known
but commonly only the ones mentioned
| will be SO badly infested as to need
| treatment
Remedies.-The scale is so well pro
tected at most stages OF its life that II
Ia very hard to kill without injury &c
the tree. The best time Is during the
winter while the trees are in dor
mant condition. An insecticide car
then be used which Is strong enough
to kill without injury to the tree. Al
parts OF the tree can be reached, which
cannot be done when they are In foil
age. The amount of insecticide re
quired is very much less than in sum
mer.
The insecticide most commonly uset
is kerosene emulsion. This Is a mix
ture of kerosene and water accom-
plished through the use OF soap ant
made according to the following for
mula:
heTosene ........ q Sai.
Il Soap ................A gal.
water IL gal.
Dissolve the soap In boiling waite
and while still boiling remove from
the fire and add the kerosene. Thel
with the force pump, pump the liqui,
back on itself for five or ten minute
until the mixture assumes a cream
consistency and no free oil rises to tn
! surface when the emulsion is permitte,
to stand few minutes. This make
the stock solution. II the oil refuses I,
emulsify after considerable agitation
!, the mixture may be put over the fir
and warmed somewhat. II this is done
great care must be taken that the ol
does not boil over or serious result
may follow. II the soap is first dis
solved in two gallons OF water the RI
sulting mixture will be warmer an
more apt to emulsify readily.
Common laundry SOAP is most reat