The brown mite (_Bryobia pratensis_) is the larger of the two, is dark red or brown in adult stage, has very long front legs, and a flattened back. It does not spin any web and works on the green bark of the small twigs as well as on the leaves, sucking the plant juices from beneath the bark. It causes a mottling of the leaves which eventually fall, although not as readily or in such large numbers as when attacked by the yellow mite. The injury to the tree is equally as great because of the serious drain on the vitality as a whole and because it commences work earlier in the season. This mite may spend its entire life on the tree; the very small, round, red eggs being laid largely on the under-side of the branches and in cracks and crevices in the bark and twigs. These remain on the tree throughout the winter and hatch early in the spring soon after the trees have their leaves half developed, leaving the white egg-shells in place. Most of their work is done in the spring and early summer. [Illustration: Fig. 22.—Nonpareil almonds. Branch on left free from Red Spider and holding its full supply of leaves in green, healthy condition; branch on right defoliated by Yellow Mite. Note premature ripening of nuts on defoliated branch.] [Illustration: Fig. 23.—Forty-three-year-old Languedoc almonds on peach root, near Davis. This orchard has not been thoroughly cultivated or irrigated. Mites have largely defoliated the trees. See contrast in Fig. 24.] The brown mite may be controlled satisfactorily by means of a dormant spray of lime-sulphur solution, 1 gallon to 10 gallons of water, applied just before the buds open in the spring. Crude oil emulsion as a dormant spray is also effective, if thoroughly applied over the entire tree under high pressure. This also applies to applications of the lime-sulphur spray. During the growing season a milder material must be used. Dry dust sulphur, using only the very finest grade of “flowers of sulphur,” is often very effective, provided weather conditions are satisfactory, but generally this must be applied a number of times if best results are to be obtained. The work is done by blowing the sulphur dust into the tree with blowers in the early morning when there is little or no wind. A more satisfactory method is the use of “Atomic sulphur” or other sulphur pastes or similar material. “Atomic sulphur” is a prepared spray whose value consists in the fact that the sulphur is held in suspension in water so that it may be applied as a liquid spray. By this method the material may be more effectively and thoroughly applied. “Atomic sulphur” is applied at the rate of 10 pounds to 100 gallons of water. [Illustration: Fig. 24.—Forty-three-year-old Languedoc almonds on peach root, near Davis. This orchard has been irrigated and thoroughly cultivated, and mites have not defoliated the trees. Note contrast in Fig. 23.]