100 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



Methods of Preventing its Havages. 



This insect is proving an exceedingly hard one to combat. It 

 cannot be effectively and practicably fought while in the adult or 

 egg stages, and there is but little hopes of reaching the cater- 

 pillars in their hibernaciila during the winter. Although the 

 caterpillars work under a silken covering on the undersides of the 

 leaves during the early part of the summer, it may be possible to 

 kill some of them with a Paris green spray, but we doubt it. 

 The pup?e can be reached only by hand-picking the nests during 

 the ten days in June which the insect passes in this stage. Thus, 

 so far as we now know, the most vulnerable period in the life- 

 cycle of the bud moth is during the last half of its caterpillar life 

 when it is at work upon the opening buds, leaves and flowers. 



We once saw a case where hand-picking could have been profit- 

 ably practiced. A block of young pear trees had become badly 

 infested and each caterpillar's nest was rendered conspicuous by 

 one or two brown dead leaves. All of the then nearly full-grown 

 caterpillars could have been quickly killed by collecting and burn- 

 ing their nests ; this would have effectually prevented the appear- 

 ance of the insect another year One man could have thus exter- 

 minated the pest in that block of a thousand or more young trees in a 

 very short time. This method may prove practicable in many 

 cases where nursery stock becomes infested. The nests should be 

 gathered before June 1st. 



Although hand-picking is the surest method of checking the 

 insect, it is impracticable on large trees, and besides, by the time 

 the work of the caterpillar has progressed far enough to render its 

 nest conspicuous, it has done most of its damage. Fruit growers 

 cannot afford to wait until after the developing fruit and new 

 growth are ''nipped in the bud" before placing any obstacles in 

 the way of this insect. 



We believe the pest can be reached with an arsenical spray 

 applied freque7itly and ihorougldy . It will necesitate at least two 

 thorough applications hefore the flowers ojpen If possible keep 

 the swelling and opening buds coated with Paris green so that the 

 little caterpillar's flrst meal in the spring will be a poisonous one. 

 In order that the spraying should be thoroughly done at this time, 

 fruit growers should realize that if the insect is not killed before 



