MEALY BUG
Dactylopius odonidum
Mealy Bug.—This plague is by no means confined to plants under glass. In the case of a lot of stove plants badly affected, the desperate course of committing the whole to the fire, and then repairing and painting the house, is often the cheapest in the end. We have known a Pine-grower compelled to destroy a houseful of plants that have been infested by the introduction of a plant from a buggy collection. Mealy Bug may be known by its mealy, floury, or cottony appearance. It has a great fancy for Grape vines. One of the best remedies is Gishurst Compound, prepared at the rate of eight ounces to a gallon of water, with clay added to give it the consistence of paint. Miscellaneous stove plants may be cleansed by washing with a brush and soft soap. Our illustration shows a group of Mealy Bugs natural size, with one insect magnified.
RED SPIDER
Tetranychus telarius
Red Spider is present in almost every vinery, however well managed. A moist atmosphere is a great, though not a certain preventive; but it is not possible, without injury to the vines, to keep the air of the house always so humid that the Spider is unable to obtain a lodgment. Syringing promotes a moist atmosphere, and is unfavourable to the Red Spider, which thrives best in heat and dryness. But the most decided repellent of Spider is the use of sulphur on the hot-water pipes. This may be managed by sprinkling dry sulphur on the pipes, or by making a thick solution of sulphur, clay, and water, with which the pipes should be painted. Be careful not to raise the heat at the same time, for if the pipes are hotter than the hand can bear fumes destructive to vegetation will be given off. Melons and Cucumbers may generally be kept clear of Spider by means of the syringe only; but when Melons are ripening they must be kept rather dry, and it is very difficult indeed to finish a crop without having the plants attacked by Red Spider. Gishurst Compound answers admirably to remove Spider from house plants. The mixture should consist of one and a half or two ounces to one gallon of water, and should be applied with a sponge. The scientific name of the Red Spider is Tetranychus telarius. Our illustration shows one of these destructive red mites natural size, and two individuals greatly magnified.
Scale.—A very common species, found on many kinds of stove and other plants, is the Lecanium hibernaculorum, here illustrated on a twig, natural size, and magnified. It is brown, tumid, and commonly somewhat more than hemispherical in shape. Besides this species there is the L. filicum of Ferns, the L. hemisphoericum of Dracænas, the L. rotundum of the Peach, and the common L. hesperidum, or Orange-tree Bug, which is one of the flat species, and it spreads to a great variety of plants. The Scale insect sucks the sap from plants, and in some instances the ground beneath the foliage is wet and soddened by the falling sap. Spirit of turpentine applied with a soft brush is considered to be a good remedy for Scale. It is, however, advisable (as in other remedies) to test this on a small number of plants at first. A near relative, a large brown Coccus, infests pomaceous trees, and is especially partial to the Pyracantha, which it often kills outright. The Scale of the Vine is Pulvinaria or Coccus vitis. Careful washing with soap and water, and the destruction of each separate Scale as soon as seen, can be recommended for the extirpation of this pest.
COMMON SCALE
Lecanium hibernaculorum
(natural size and enlarged)
