io8 Bulletin 142. 



able phase of the life of the insect. It is during this time that we kill 

 it with a poison spray; just how this is done is discussed later on. 



Habits and Groivth of the Apple-worm Inside the Fruit. 



The apple-worm's objective point soon after it enters the fruit seems 

 to be the core. It usually reaches the core in about a week, and there 

 begins its destructive work on the seeds, of which it seems to be espe- 

 cially fond, and on the surrounding flesh. It feeds in or near the 

 core during the greater part of the remainder of its life in the fruit. 

 As it feeds, it increases in size, and has to shed its skin from time to 

 time to accommodate itself to this growth ; it is said that this cater- 

 pillar sheds its skin four times while feeding in the fruit. As the 

 worm increases in size, its head and thoracic and anal shields change 

 in color from black to brown, and the small, blackish, piliferous spots, 

 so distinct in the young worms, as shown in figure 132, usually become 

 quite indistinct; we have, however, seen nearly full-grown apple- 

 worms on which these spots were still very distinct. The body of the 

 worm also acquired a distinct pinkish or flesh color, sometimes even 

 when the worms are only half-grown. 



While at work in the blossom-end or in tunneling to the core from 

 any point on the fruit, the young worms apparently try to keep their 

 home clean by throwing their excrement out at the entrance hole. 

 Once fairly at work in the core, however, little or no trouble is taken 

 to remove the grains of excrement ; they are often found in the 

 worm-cavity fastened together by silken threads.^' 



Preparations for leaving the fruit. — Several days before^ the 

 apple- worm gets full-grown, it proceeds to cat a passage way, 

 usually by the shortest route, toward the exterior. This exit tunnel 

 often follows the entrance burrow, and thus often opens at the 

 blossom end, Init usually the external opening or, familiar "worm- 

 hole," occurs in the side of the fruit. When the worm reaches the 

 surface with its exit tunnel, it uses the opening as a door out of which 



* Reaiunur thought this was purposely done by the worm to prevent the 

 pellets from being thrown about in the cavity by the motions of the fruit. 

 This may be true, or it may be more probable that, like many other cater- 

 pillars, this apple-worm spins a thread wherever it goes around in its home, 

 and the pellets simply get entangled in these threads. 



