The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1909-02-19
How WHITEPLIES MULTIPLY
They Flourish in the Chinabsrry and
Umbrella Trees In Summer

tested umbrella tree Of medium size,
bearing about 10000 leaves, may
be 20, 000, 900. larvae. DIR. A. w.
Morrill,, basing his calculations up
on tree Of similar size, gives an
estimate Of about II, 600, 900. Both
of these investigators, in order to be
well on the conservative side, accept
ed the lowest figures of their calcu-
lations; whereas the average number
Of insects per leaf, according to their
actual counts, would have given
something like 70 to 80 millions as
the number of larvae per tree. From
this last estimate, it is evident that a
large umbrella tree may harbOr a
hundred millions of whitefly larvae
at one time. Allowing a dozen large
umbrella trees to a town, we may
have upwards of / 200, 900, 900 adult
whiteflies coming out Of these trees
during the latter part of summer.
Careful observations have shown
that these swarming millions of
winged whitefles deposit only a COM
paratively small number of eggs upon
the leaves of the Chinaberry and UNI
brella trees at this time, but quit
these trees and deposit eggs upon
evergreen food plants, principally cit
rus, privet and cape jasmine. Wheth-
er they do this inStinctively, because
the Chinaberry trees lose their leaves
in the fall and winter, so that the
larvae from any eggs laid on their
leaves must die; or whether the leaves
of these trees have developed some
repellent quality; or whether the
quitting of these trees is caused by
overpopulation, does not affect the
result. The fact is that these white
flies swarm about, and either fly or
are driven by the wind for long dis
tances, many of them finding at last
suitable plants on which to deposit
their eggs.
Last summer the small citrus trees
at the experiment station were free
from whitefy; but in August and
September thousands of whitefiies
were lowering about and depoSiting
eggs, so that by the end of fall these
citrus trees were as heavily infested
as citrus trees commonly become.
The nearest infested trees from
which the whiteflies could have come
were umbrella trees in Gainesville
about mile away, so that the white
flies had to travel at least a mile.
That many whiteflies must have gone
farther out into the country than the
experiment station, can hardly be
doubted, considering the great num-
bers in which they were swarming
about, not only on, citrus trees, but
on other plants, on clothing, windows
and vehicles. The principal food
plants in Gainesville and north Flor
ida are Chinaberry and umbrella trees
there being only enough citrus, .privet
and other evergreen food plants to
bring about the restocking of the de-
ciduous trees every spring.
WHAT is TO BE DONE
That hundreds of millions of wing
ed whitef1ies may become matured on
Chinaberry and umbrella trees, and
that these hordes of insects may
swarm for the distance of at least
mile, and perhaps several miles, from
their place of breeding is an-estab-
lished fact. Therefore these trees
should be destroyed before next
spring, and before they become in
tested again by the spring brood of
whitefiieS. They should be destroyed
for three reasons.
/. Because these trees reduce the
efficiency of all measures for the con-
troll of the whitefly by one-half or
more, or perhaps nearly nullify them,
by setting free swarms of whiteflies
into the citrus trees at time when
the fruit is maturing and it is most
desirable to have the trees free from
whitefy.
2. Because in newly infested local
tiles these trees are fastening the
dissemination of the whitefly into
the non-infested groves. Besides the
spreading Of the whitehieS from them
through the air, teams are hitched
under such trees. and the vehicles be-
come agents in carrying the insects
into other parts of the country
or to other Chinaberry or umbrella
trees, under which the team might
again be hitched.
8. Because Of the nuisance to man
and beast from the myriads of white
flies which frequently fill the air in
whitefy infested sections. That this
nuisance is principally due to the
presence of Chinaberry and umbrella
trees is evident from the fact that it
occurs in sections where there are
Chinaberry and umbrella trees, but
The Crime of Idleness
IdleneSs means trouble for any one. It's