_Thrips._—These are most serious on the almond leaves, their attacks being serious enough to cause considerable defoliation in late spring or early summer. They may be controlled by spraying with lime-sulphur, 1 to 30, to which has been added black-leaf 40 (40 per cent nicotine) at the rate of 1 part to 1500 parts of water or other spray-mixture. It is possible that other than the pear thrips have been doing damage, but the same spray as described above should be effective against all. _Grasshopper._—Grasshoppers have been serious in orchards in outlying foothill districts in some years, and especially so in young orchards where it has been almost impossible to get trees started properly. In such locations special means must be employed on a large scale to protect orchards from their devastations, of which poisoned bait and hopper dozers are the most effective. [Illustration: Fig. 25.—Almonds infested with larvae of Indian Meal Moth (_Plodia interpunctella_).] Indian Meal Moth (_Plodia interpunctella_).—The larva of this moth feeds on the kernels of the harvested almonds when they are stored. Infestation usually takes place in storerooms or warehouses in which the nuts have been placed for a time. The warehouses become infested from old grain bags which have been kept there at one time or another. So far as known, infestation does not take place in the field. The larvae will continue to work in the stored almonds for a long time, doing a very great amount of damage (fig. 25). They may be controlled by thoroughly cleaning out the corners of the warehouse and thoroughly disinfecting. The nuts should be disinfected with carbon bisulphide (explosive when in the form of a gas mixed with air), or other means used to control insects in grain.[6] Prevention is far easier than the cure in this case. Scale, aphis, diabrotica and other insects are sometimes found on the trees, but are generally not sufficiently troublesome to require special attention. Most of them are held in check by the control measures used for the more serious pests. OTHER PESTS _Gophers._—These often do great damage to the trees by girdling them just below the surface of the ground, or if they do not actually girdle the trees, they cut them enough to devitalize them and, in addition, the wounds made by their gnawings frequently become infected with crown-gall organisms. The only safe means of control is the constant use of traps supplemented by poisoned bait. _Squirrels._—Squirrels are very troublesome, as they harvest a large amount of almonds before they are sufficiently ripe to be harvested by the grower. The use of poisoned grain or “gas,” if used over a large area of surrounding territory, will prevent serious depredations.