Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-06-16
and plants later.

ana pldnts aler-
The mites are tiny pests which do
their injury by sucking the sap from
the leaves. Their presence may De
detected by the pale. notified appear
ance of the foliage upon which they
have been feeding. These injured
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 exami-
nation of a newIy-hatched individual
will show that only six legs are pres
emit, and at this stage of their exist
ence they resemble the insects moro
closely than the spiders, all of which
have eight legs After the first moult,
or shedding OF the skin, fourth pair
of legs is developed.
There are great many diffent spe
cies of mites which feed upon plants
of various kinds, but the writer has
found only two species to be at all
common in western Colorado. One of
these species is known as the brown
mite the other as the red spider
Both are tiny little pests, but can
easily be seen with the naked eye II
carefully searched for, and both do
their injury in exactly the same way
/ Both may also be controlled by the ap-
plieation of the same remedies.
The eggs OF the brown mite are tiny.
red. CLASSY objects. spherical in shape
| and may be found on the limbs of in
tested trees. for the most part about
the region OF crotches The little mite
when first Matched from the egg and
up to the time when it first sheds its
skin. Is a bright red color; afterward
it becomes 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 hatch
from these eggs are light green in
color, with dark colored spots on their
backs. The adults are often red,
hence the name red spiders was Civ
en- TO them. This species has the pow.
er of spinning a web and infested
leaves will always have a network
of these webs woven over their sur.
faces.
Greenhouse plants are very often in
Tested with red spiders, and small
fruits such as raspberries, currants,
etc, are frequently injured by them.
Both fruit and shade trees are sub
h. w e tshifir tatjjt3fkv Ny ebseEyations
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 her
baceous plants. Occasionally brown
mites have been taken upon herba-
ceous plants. They seem particularly
| fond of clover. and 1t is sometimes
called the clover mite.
AS a 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
plant of various kinds may be busted
with it, while the larger trees have
to be sprayed. / have busted small
trees very successfully with an ordi-
nary bee-smoker. Sulphur may be ap.
piled as spray by mixing with wa
ter in the spray tank If little soap
Is dissolved in the water, the sulphur
will settle to the bottom of the tank
and can be stirred with the agitator.
One pound of sulphur to four gallons
OF water is enough for. successful
work.
A few orchards in the Grand val
ley, where lime and sulphur was not
used as dormant spray in the spring
are found to be badly infested with
brown mite at the present time; but
in no case has an orchard that was
sprayed with lime and sulphur been
found infested. Orchards which were
note treated with lime and sulphur
in the spring, and which have brown
mites on them now, should be sprayed
with sulphur as soon as possible, sc
that serious injury to trees and frui
) may be averted.
GEO. p. WELDON,
Colorado Agricultural College. For
Collins.