INSECTS ON THE SURFACE OF ORANGES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1233, 18 November 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

INSECTS ON THE SURFACE OF ORANGES.

V When a dish of oranges is seen on the table for. desHort, tho faob is hardly realised thai in all probability their surface is the habitat of an insect of tko Coccus family.■: This tiny creature is found on the orange skin in 'every stage of transformation, from the egg to the perfeot insect, during the winter months, instead of remaining dormant in the cold weather, as is tho case with most of tho insect tribe..' It would hardly be possible to find a St. Michael's;, or Tangerine orange .that had not hundreds of these little creatures in various etagea of development oa - their surface. Demons; too, are frequently covered. Upon, inspection, the skin of an orange will be found to : be dotted over vrith brownish scarlet spots of various sires, These speck» can be easily removed by a needle; and when placed under a microscope, an interesting scene is presented, con* sis ting'of a large number of eggs, which are oval white bodies, standing on end, like little bags of flour, tome of the inhabitants of which'may very probably :be seen in process of emerging from the opened end of the egg,': The,female insect upon leaving the •egg has six legs,' two. long Wr-like appen-. j dages, and no wings; it thrusts a sucker. J 'into the orange in order to obtain. nodrish-H raent, and never moves again, pueingfl -thronghitho varioQS.stagcs of developmeuH until it lays its eggs and dies. In the of the male insect, the chrysalis after. period opens and the insect flies.off.: TbH male is supplied with wings twice'the lengtM of its body,iand each of the legs has like projection.'. It has;four, eyes:and ; two antennte, and is so tiny that lit cannot ibo seen when flying/, ; ; >■) '■••■■•■"■•■ i ;.',■: ■:,■<'■. , .... ■'i From somo ipaits. of Spain, oranges come , to us having theirrindcoyerediwith aw«w oftquite a different typer i;Thoi6urfaoo ; of oranges, indeed, .affords the.possessor of a microscope an infinite amount of.interest and ■amusement.'■: ,'v?. V.i i; ■ ■.••.; , • .-, ~(