The sun., 1919-04-06
CONTROL OF. PLANT LICE IN THE
VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Aphids. or plant lice. are small, soft
bodied insects that obtain their food
by sucking the Juices from plants by
means Of a beak which they insert
most often in the under side OF leaf.
They often cause the leaf to curl. and
In the case OF severe attacks ruin the
crop by killing many Of the plants.
Although there are many species OF
aphids which attack vegetable crops.
fortunately they can all be controlled
by the same materials and the same
methods. Some species Of garden
aphids have certain peculiar habits
knowledge Of which enables one to
deal with them effectively.
The life history of all the garden
plant lice is much the same. All pass
the winter in the egg stage in north
ern localities. Most OF the females
produce living young without the in
tervention of the male. Both sexes
appear in the fall. however, and fer
tilization occurs previous to the laying
OF the eggs. which survive the winter
All species produce both winged and
wingless forms. Each female probably
produces on the average more than
~
twenty-five generations a year.
Most of the different species have
Enthusiastically colored bodies, but
the color OF the aphids of some species
may vary from a pale green to nearly
black. Most aphids are some shade of
green. but they may be black. pink,
yellow or almost white.
While most aphids OF the same
species feed upon only closely related
plants, 1t sometimes happens that they
will feed upon plants distantly related.
uhis is an important fact which should
be considered in the control measures
For instance, the potato louise Mdcrost-
plum soldnifohD spends the winter.
early spring and late fall on the rose
in preference to other plants. It mi
! CRATES to potatoes, tomatoes. peppers,
elephants and many other plants dur
Ing the latter part OF spring. The pea
aphid Mdcrosiphum pisD migrates
back and forth between peas and
| clover. The spinach aphid (MyzuS
| persicde) Feeds upon wide range OF
vegetables and trees. including peach,
| cherry. spinach. cabbage, celery, &c.
The cabbage louise (Aphis brdastcde)
Is mostly confined to plants OF the
family cruclfere. and the melon louise
(Aphis 0ossvpti) is usually confined to
vine crops.
The first step in the control OF plant
lice Is to destroy everything upon
which the winter eggs OF the aphid are
laid. Crops badly infested with aphids
in the fall should be disked and
ploughed under or burned. Weeds
especially those belonging to the same
families as the cultivated crops should
not be allowed to grow. as they afford
an excellent breeding place.
Aphids insert their beaks into the
plant tissues for their food and are
not injured by arsenlcal sprays Some
spray must be used which will kill the
insect by contact and yet be so weak
that it will not inJure the plant
Nicotine sulphate (46 per cent nico
tine) Is the most easily prepared ant
most effective spray that can be used
against aphids. When used at the
rate of one part nicotine sulphate L
one thousand parts Of water the spray
Is effective against most aphids. Tho
following formula supplies the in.
gradients In the right proportions:
Nicotine suiphate Gao per cent. nico
tine), 2-5 pint. or 81 fluid ounces; any
laundry soap. . pounds; water. so gal
Ions.
The soap is added as a spreader ant
to make the solution slightly more
volatile. When the nicotine sulphate Il
used with water alone the addition o.
soap aids materially. but when useC
in combination with other sprays tn,
soap is omitted. The nicotine sulphat,
may be added to Bordeaux mixture
lime sulphur or arsenate OF lead IL
the same proportions as with water
The one application may thus serv,
two or three purposes.
When used against the potato aphi,
the strength of the above formula
should be increased to one part t,
eight hundred: that would be one-hal
pint OF nicotine sulphate to so gallons
OF water.
For small patches IL teaspoonful
OF nicotine sulphate and ounce q
soap to each gallon of water will prov,
effective against all garden aphids.
, To prepare the solution all that /
necessary Is to measure out tn
amount OF nicotine salphate needed