The Delta independent., 1910-07-01
Summer Treatment
For Orchard Mites.


The first injury from orchard
mites may be seen, and little eff
fort now will prevent serious injury
to trees and plants later on.
The mites are tiny pests which do
their injury by sucking the sap from
| the leaves. Their presence may be
detected by the pale. mottled ap-
pearance of the foliage upon which
they have been feeding. These in
jured leaves will often turn yellow
very early and drop from the trees.
All the mites are classed with the
spiders and not with the insects. An
examination of a newlyhatched in
d,viduai will show that only six legs
are present, and at this stage of
heir existence they resemble the in
sects more closely than the spiders,
all of which have eight legs. After
the first moult, or shedding of the
skin. fourth pair of legs is devel-
oped
There are a great many different
species of mites which feed upon
plants of various kinds. but the
writer has found only two species
~ bt at All III WtSltI Nolo-
rado. One of these species is known
as the brown mite; the other as The
red spider. Both are tiny little pests.
Tut can easily be seen with the ua-
KcG eye, if carefully searched for,
and both do their injury in exactly
the same way. Both may also be
controlled by the application of the
same remedies.
The eggs of the brown mite are
uny red, CLASSY objects. spherical in
shape. and may be found on the
limbs of infested trees. for the most
part about the region of crotches.
The little mite when first hatched
rom the egg and up to the time
when it first sheds its skin, is
bright red color: afterward. it be-
comes olive green or brown, with
reddish head and legs. The eggs of
the red spiders are not red in color,
but white. and are deposited on the
under surface of leaves. where they
appear as tiny pearls, so small that
it takes careful searching to detect
their presence. The mites that
atch from these eggs are light
|
spots on their backs. The adults
are often red, hence the name red
riders was given to them. This
species has the power of spinning a
web. and infested leaves will always
have network of these webs woven
over their surfaces.
Greenhouse plants are very often
infested with red spiders. and small
fruits, such as raspberries. currants,
etc. are frequently injured by them.
10th fruit and shade trees are sub
Jact to their attack. My observa-
tons in western Colorado have been
that the brown mite infests fruit
trees principally, while. in addition.
the red spider may be found on
shade trees. small fruits. and many
kinds of herbaceous plants. Occa-
sionally brown mites have been
taken upon herbaceous plants. They
seem particularly fond of clover, and
they are sometimes called the clover
mite.
| AS treatment for mites sulphur
probably has no equal. 1t may be
said that sulphur is death to mites
Of all kinds. Small trees, bush
fruits and plants of various kinds
may be busted with 1t. while the
anger trees have to be sprayed. l
have busted small trees very sue
rcssfully with an ordinary bee
smoker. sulphur may be applied rs
spray by mixing with water in
the spray tank. III a little soap is
dissolved in the water. the sulphur
Will settle to the bottom of the